When we think of young adults, we think of the thrill associated with firsts. First car, first roommate, first kiss, first apartment, first job. We like to imagine adolescents blossoming into confident young adults ready to take on the world. But this idealist picture we have of the most recent crop of youngsters has taken a hit in recent years. Instead of the lively freedom we may have envisioned, the current generation of late teens through early 20-somethings is quantifiably struggling.

Those between the ages of 18-25 have the highest rates of mental illness among all adults. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 36% of young adults in this age group are struggling with mental illness. To put this into perspective, 29% of those between the ages of 26-49 have a mental illness, with just 14% of Americans 50 and older. To make matters worse, while the youngest adult age bracket has the highest rates of mental illness, they also are the least likely to seek treatment.

So, if young adults are most prone to the likes of depression and anxiety but also the least likely to do anything about it, do they have any chance of getting out of their mental health funk?

Let’s be clear, there are solutions, and community is a component to the path forward. A meta-analysis of 308,000 people found that those with no friends or weak friendships were twice as likely to die prematurely as those with close social bonds. A review of 38 studies found that having adult friendships,........

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