“Meet the Press” on Sunday will take a break from its usual focus on the latest in political news to air a special edition of the program that examines mental health and, in particular, the growing number of young people who say they are suffering from loneliness.
Moderator Kristen Welker, in her opening comments at the top of the show that were first seen by TheWrap, will lay out the disheartening situation; studies show two-thirds of Gen Z’ers are dealing with loneliness while youth suicide rates have increased dramatically since the start of the 21st century.
“After no significant change between 2001 and 2007, the suicide rate among young people ages 10-24 increased 62% from 2007 through 2021, from 6.8 deaths to 11.0 per 100,000,” the CDC found in 2023.
Welker will discuss the issue with several guests — including Dr. Vivek Murthy, the former U.S. Surgeon General who served in the position twice, between 2014-2017 and again from 2021 to earlier this year. Former Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, who has been open about his struggles with bipolar disorder, and author Arthur Brooks will be Welker’s other two featured guests.
The NBC News show will also feature a panel that includes psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb, therapist Nedra Glover Tawwab and San Diego State University psychology professor Jean Twenge.
This will be the second special edition of “Meet the Press” dedicated to mental health, following an episode in 2023 that focused on the matter.
Several recent studies and polls have also looked at the rise of loneliness among young people; a poll from the American Psychiatric Association last year found “30% of Americans aged 18-34 saying they were lonely every day or several times a week,” which was triple the average for all Americans.
The special “Meet the Press” comes after an especially busy week on the media front. CNN’s Jake Tapper, notably, has been making the rounds to promote his new book, “Original Sin.” The book, co-authored with Axios reporter Alex Thompson, looks at former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline while in office. This week, Tapper said he was stunned by the president’s poor performance in the 2024 debate he moderated — a performance that led to Biden dropping out of the race less than a month later. That claim came after Tapper said there was “not enough” media coverage of Biden’s apparent cognitive decline during his presidency, including from himself.
“Meet the Press” was the top Sunday public affairs show among the 25-54 demographic last week, and has won that demo nine of the past 14 weeks. Earlier this month, the long-running show enjoyed a 19% ratings boost when Welker scored an interview with President Trump.
The special edition of “Meet the Press,” titled “Lost & Lonely: America’s Mental Health Crisis,” will air at 10:30 a.m. ET in New York City and Washington, D.C.
