The Thin Line Between Progression and Depression

Exploring the impending decision between unemployment and suicide, and why people may choose the latter.

Welcome to the second installment of The Unreported, where we talk about the nation’s most pressing and buried issues.

Unemployment, while pressing, is nowhere close to being a whispered topic. The crisis has been the root of distress for millions of Americans, from those who’ve recently graduated college to those ten years deep into the workforce, causing many to question the likelihood of ever seeing a bi-weekly paycheck again.

The reality of the nation may be of shock to some, especially to supporters of President Donald Trump, who championed his vision for better jobs and lower costs all the way to his November 2024 victory. According to the Pew Research Center’s 2024 election issues survey, “among Trump supporters, the economy (93%), immigration (82%), and violent crime (76%) leading issues.” Although not the highest polling issue for Harris supporters, the economy proved to be important enough as it polled in at 67 percent.

Nine months into Trump’s administration, Americans have yet to see the promise of a fulfilling economy. The Century Foundation reported that, “June 2025 saw the first month of net job loss since 2020, the height of the pandemic. In March 2025, there were 275,000 announced layoffs, the highest March total since data tracking began in 1989.”

Even without crunching the numbers, many Americans can feel hope waining. This year, the nation has seen the death of DEI, the overtaking of industries by AI, and a 44-day long government shutdown leading to, you guessed it, more unemployment. Furloughed workers are switching to becoming influencers and freelance writers are on track to make Substack the next Washington Post.

Take Emma Sturgeon (@emma_sturgeon) for example, a 26-year-old government employee who took to TikTok on the 18th day of the shutdown in hopes of finding purpose in her career pause (and in getting her rent paid before eviction):

Amassing over 67,000 followers and over 898,000 likes through her digital series, Emma is one of many who is trying something new and praying it sticks. Other creators have filled in their time by picking up new hobbies, pivoting to new industries, or crying into their cameras because they’ve received their 250th job rejection. Despite the many tears being shed among the nation, the unemployment crisis and the extent of its effects are still not being taken seriously.

Losing your job today can mean losing your fight with depression tomorrow.

A 2024 study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on the relationship between unemployment and mental health reported that, “The economic insecurities and disruptions stemming from unemployment serve as potent stressors, influencing mental health trajectories on a global scale. Furthermore, the globalization of a neoliberal perspective, emphasizing individualism and material pursuits, mirrors the challenges posed by unemployment on mental wellbeing.”

“The analysis reveals a significant positive association between unemployment and mental disorders, particularly anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Moreover, distinct patterns emerge, linking unemployment to higher rates of drug use and eating disorders in specific demographics,” it continued.

This reality is even more damning to those in urban communities, who may be suffering from unemployment due to inaccessibility to college or poverty. Programs such as the Job Corps, which aids this demographic specifically, were temporarily suspended by the US Department of Labor earlier this year. The NIH study revealed, “a 39% increased risk for mood disorders, a 21% increased risk for anxiety disorders, and heightened occurrences of schizophrenia among individuals born and raised in urban environments,” which severely impacts their chances of gaining employment and income.

Many of the unemployed are engulfed in feelings of shame and embarrassment, heckled with the assumption that they haven’t scrolled on LinkedIn long enough or didn’t network hard enough, even though their connections are holding their breath through rounds of layoffs.

Everyday, people are waking up with nothing to do but hope for a better tomorrow. One of those people being Rayla Wolfe, a 2022 graduate from Howard University and a long-term job searcher.

“When it came to graduating from Howard, I thought I wouldn’t have a problem at all finding a job and it’s seeming like the jobs don’t even care what school I went to,” said Wolfe, who graduated a year earlier than her anticipated date. “That has definitely been very difficult and it’s kinda like an eye opener. I feel like I grew a lot as a person at Howard professionally and developed many skills; however, I guess the name is not as powerful as I thought it was.”

The university is one of many marked with promises of success due to its worldwide name recognition and successful alumni. One alumna being the aforementioned former Vice President Kamala Harris, whose win alongside former President Joe Biden in 2020 drove the school to an increase in applicants (and tuition). In fact, it has become a donation favorite of Mackenzie Scott (Bezos), whose $80 million donation this November brought her grand total to $132 million, according to The Dig.

The expectation to be as successful as the reputation of your alma mater is a heavy weight for students to bear. While some maintain the pressure in their school’s overachieving environment, it hasn’t been as transferable to the outside world.

On reflecting on her immediate post graduate journey, Wolfe stated, “For me, I thought maybe it was because some of the people who graduated were older, so they had more time to get their internship. So it made sense for them to get the jobs quicker. People are traveling the world and I’m like, maybe I just need to be patient because I did graduate very soon.”

“As another year went by and my friends started to graduate and they’re telling me they don’t have jobs, I’m like what are you talking about?” she continued.

Along with her community having an unlucky experience with bachelor’s degrees, Wolfe expressed the challenge friends are having finding a job with a master’s degree.

This is a rising concern, especially for those who’ve seen master’s programs as cushions before walking into the perpetual cycle of a 9-5. Citing an economist Aaron Terrazas, Business Insider reported, “Professionals with advanced development who are looking for work find themselves stranded on the unemployment line for a median of 18 weeks – a jobless spell that has more than quadrupled over the past two years.”

Even with higher education being a proper “leg up,” the Trump Administration is adding to the chaos with the advancement of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA). Starting July 1, 2026, the bill will eliminate the Grad PLUS Loan Program, add caps on federal spending, and set limits based on professional degrees — all decisions which will ultimately turn people away from master’s and Phd programs.

“I feel like the future we were promised doesn’t exist. There’s a lot of promises we were given that are not being fulfilled and it worries me about the next generation because there isn’t any more ‘go to college and get a job’. There are those of us who did go to college and still didn’t get a job,” said Wolfe, who devoted time in therapy to deal with the impending depression.

“Just waking up anxious, waking up sad. I’ll look at my phone first thing in the morning and it’s a rejection email. I didn’t even breathe yet and I’m already being denied.”

The constant uncertainty gave way to a stream of overthinking, which caused Wolfe to look upon her college experience and future with detriment. But it’s burdensome to overthink the future, especially when things are unexpected. No one knows this better than Mikelah Rodulfo, a Georgia State alumna who fought against cancer during her ongoing job search.

“There was a lot of job postings and job openings and I would apply to a lot of jobs, but no one was actually hiring. With these corporate jobs, you’re really just sitting and waiting,” said Rodulfo.

“My grandmother and my parents kept nagging me through my recovery saying, “You need to get a job. You need to find a job.” I can’t even get into the kitchen to make my own food at this point. I couldn’t even walk up the stairs to my room, I was sleeping on the recliner.”

Cancer was not Rodulfo’s only struggle. From working part-time jobs to afford the rising Atlanta rent to becoming dependent on SNAP, which temporarily shut down on November 1st, she was exposed to stress far beyond what she could handle.

The NIH reports, “chronic stress, although pivotal for survival, emerges as a predominant risk factor for various neuropsychiatric disorders, encompassing depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.” While we know life can throw anything our way, is it reasonable to expect an early 20-something to navigate multiple soul-crushing experiences and not cave into the pressure?

“My last paycheck was only $300 dollars. In this economy, what can you genuinely do with that? I may get gas twice and pay my phone bill and then I have nothing left. Now, I’m concerned how I’m about to eat and I’m genuinely fearful to ask how I’ll get groceries because I know that they’ll say something about me working and not having a good enough job.”

Stephon Otchere, another Howard University alum, also had a difficult time navigating life’s uncertainties during his three month stint in unemployment.

“I actually chose to go see a therapist, just because I was so unhappy. It’s an interesting place to be because I think my mental health is pretty strong, but nobody is above that. And it’s weird because that time I was unemployed felt like a calendar year and it was just from May to August.”

Otchere also developed anxiety, recalling the time a friend heard him talking about forecast files in his sleep due to the built-up stress from the job and eventual unemployment.

In order to combat his rising mental health issues, Otchere turned to his faith: a common route that can turn unemployment into an optimistic redirection for something better.

Religion has often been debated on its validity, with some believing it could be a coping mechanism through hard times and others believing their life and all decisions made within it are in the hands of an omnipresent God.

“I get home, I’m praying profusely and listening to gospel music for hours on end. I feel like I’m doing everything to build a routine and reading scriptures and devotionals from my brother and it felt like God wasn’t hearing me. I felt really forsaken,” he stated.

“But the way everything aligned when I got my [new] job told me that God was in the neighborhood. He just wanted me to be the best version of myself, so that when my blessings do come, I know how to take care of them.”

The end seems distant, and times are certain to become worse.

Amongst the industries crumbling under policy changes, journalism seems to be the weakest of them all. Employees and corporations alike are desperately trying to pick up the pieces of what’s left of a dying career path.

This comes after news of NBC laying off the dedicated teams of NBC BLK, NBC Latino, NBC Asian America, and NBC Out — all minority groups contributing to the company’s universal impact. CBS also came under fire for the layoffs of its minority employees, allegedly at the behest of Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss.

The final nail in the coffin came in the form of the death of Teen Vogue. The 22-year-old publication officially rolled under its parent, Vogue, and laid off its last two Black editors in the process.

Candice Frederick, former Senior Culture Reporter at Huff Post, knows this all too well. The freelance journalist, with words in the New York Times and ELLE, has been laid off four times, the most recent a month after Trump’s inauguration.

“This fourth one, that happened February, was particularly infuriating. I mean they’re all terrible…but I really liked that job. I was good at that job and it was a job I had been working my whole career for. Since then, it’s like you said, still having the mindset of a journalist but you don’t really have a place to put the journalism,” she stated.

“I’ve been dealing with this increasing sense of irrelevance. This increasing sense that your work doesn’t matter, your voice doesn’t matter, you don’t matter. All of this is connected and I hate this idea of you are your work, and I don’t think I am my work, but it’s a lot of uncertainty.”

While there’s still reporters on red carpets and game day sidelines, the material that is being reported is being watered down year by year. Publications and their editors are not engaging in hard news stories or interacting with their communities enough to revitalize the meaning of ethical journalism.

“I don’t feel like they’ve properly invested in culture reporting. On top of that…culture reporting at its best is so intrinsically linked with social and political power and challenging that social and political power. We’re at a time where few people really want to do that in a way that’s effective.”

Despite the constant attention on early to mid 20-somethings, layoffs are coming down even harder on those who’ve already built a career, putting the only life they know in jeopardy of never coming back.

Frederick’s life support came in the form of a severance package and a career coach, who doubled as her therapist during her unemployment. Even with financial assistance at the start, she has had to grapple with the six months New York gives to be on unemployment before getting cut off.

“I can’t see beyond it, there’s no ‘you’ll turn the corner and this will happen.’ There’s no hope. I think that’s very difficult to contend with and people will say, “well, maybe in another four years…”. In another four years, you’ll be older so you’re dealing with ageism. You’re also going to be four years unemployed and who wants to do that? It will devastate you, not only mentally but financially,” said Frederick.

“Things could be a lot worse, but I don’t really want to see that or be in the position I’ve been in for nine months.”

Soon, other industries such as tech, healthcare, and marketing will have to answer the questions their disgruntled employees are asking them now. As people are moving through their unemployment, others are watching from afar, counting down the days.

With the government shutdown ending right before the holidays, worries haven't left people’s minds. The expiration of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will raise healthcare costs, calling into question the ability to afford therapy or medications for mental health disorders as job loss continues nationwide.

Free resources such as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and SAMHSA National Helpline are always available if needed.

Until next time, thanks for turning into The Unreported.