It’s tough to be a young adult these days.

About 44 percent of college students have symptoms of depression, and suicide is a leading cause of death in that age bracket. Visits to mental health experts by members of the millennial generation have increased by 16 percent since the year 2000.

Why all the anguish? There are several reasons: Jobs are scarce; a college diploma doesn’t carry as much weight as it used to; and many are feeling the weight of new, tech-related responsibilities and obligations. Many experts say parents of millennials bear some of the blame, too. They’ve doted on their children for so long that they don’t know when to stop, and their children are not as capable of making decisions. A few parents even go with their children to job interviews.

“The big problem is not that they [millennials] think too highly of themselves,” writes Brooke Donatone for Slate. “The bigger challenge is conflict negotiation, and they often are unable to think for themselves. The overinvolvement of helicopter parents prevents children from learning how to grapple with disappointments on their own. If parents are navigating every minor situation for their kids, kids never learn to deal with conflict on their own. Helicopter parenting has caused these kids to crash land.” (Slate)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife Wendy and his two children. Follow him on Twitter.