Disconnected in a connected world
Tech changes and social pressures are fueling a mental health crisis. A new Case Western Reserve University institute aims to change that.
As masks came off and COVID-19 social-distancing measures lifted, it became clear another health crisis was brewing—one spurred, in some part, by the pandemic itself.
Loneliness.
In May 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, declared loneliness and isolation an epidemic. A Gallup poll cited in his report found that only 39% of U.S. adults reported feeling very connected to others, and approximately half of all adults said they experienced a lack of connection. Some of the highest rates of disconnection were among young adults.
More recent reports confirm the escalation of not just loneliness and isolation but overall mental health concerns, citing myriad factors—from COVID-19 to the pervasiveness of social media to extreme inequality to societal divisions—as drivers.
The statistics point to alarming trends for adults and youth alike. Approximately 20% of U.S. adults and about 16% of youth ages 6 to 17 experience a mental health disorder. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among people aged 10-14 and third among 15- to 24-year-olds. And rates of depression are at an all-time high, with 18% of all adults and 25% of people younger than 30 experiencing or receiving treatment for depression.
“Mental health difficulties across multiple indicators are more common now than they were 25 years or so ago,” said Norah Feeny, PhD, professor of psychological sciences in Case Western Reserve University’s College of Arts and Sciences. “We see that with increased rates of depression and anxiety, suicide attempts, substance abuse and deaths of despair.”
Feeny and her partners across Case Western Reserve University are looking to reverse these trends—and transform mental health care in Northeast Ohio and beyond. With a $60 million investment by the university and Curt and Sara Moll, PhD (FSM ’66; GRS ’90, ’92, psychology), the Sara and Curt Moll Institute for Mental Health and Well-Being launched in June, with Feeny named its inaugural executive director.
A location for connection
At the core of the Molls’ investment is a vision to create a premier institute on par with Cleveland’s renowned healthcare facilities, centers and programs in which CWRU is a key partner.
To do this, institute researchers will seek to catalyze breakthrough discoveries for advancing mental health and bring evidence-based approaches to people across a broad spectrum of needs. The institute will also provide help for people with serious mental-health challenges and provide educational programs to guide individuals and families in coping with daily challenges from teen anxiety to harmful social media, from the effects of past trauma to caring for a family member in cognitive decline.
The commitment came at a critical time. A 2025 study from CWRU School of Medicine’s Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods found that 55% of Clevelanders reported feeling lonely some or most of the time (compared with under 30% nationally), and nearly 37% had been diagnosed with depression (compared with less than 20% nationally). In addition, about 80% of those in Cleveland felt generally or very satisfied with life—a stark contrast to nearly 95% of all Americans.
To begin making progress, the Moll Institute is first focused on hiring new clinical faculty, providing additional training opportunities for clinical PhD students and creating connections—in both research and outreach—across the Cleveland community, said Feeny, a renowned researcher in post-traumatic stress disorder.
Today, the institute is in a temporary space on Euclid Avenue, until it moves into a renovated home in the university’s Nursing Research Building in summer 2027. This location will place researchers amid CWRU’s health sciences buildings and close to partners, including those at University Hospitals and Cleveland Clinic.
“We are an area rich with academic and medical institutions and diverse communities and neighborhoods. Cleveland is an international leader in areas such as cancer treatment and cardiac problems,” said Feeny, also a psychiatry professor in CWRU’s medical school. “We also need to be a national and international leader in the provision of mental health care.”
A new wave for mental health
That starts, Feeny believes, with destigmatizing care.
Generational shifts and technological transformations are beginning to turn the tide. “Self-care” and “boundaries” are part of daily dialogues in settings both personal and professional. Celebrities and professional athletes are opening up about their struggles on Instagram and TikTok—and mental health professionals are taking to the platforms to espouse their advice in easily digestible, instantly shareable forms.
And when in-person counseling is unavailable, inconvenient or not preferred, telehealth has opened access to care, whether through 24/7 options such as the free Crisis Text Line [alumna Shairi Turner, MD (MED ’96), is its chief health officer], or online therapy sessions.
“Addressing mental health concerns is not a one-size-fits-all approach,” Feeny said. “Our current healthcare systems are struggling to meet the need for mental health interventions, so the more tools we have in our toolbox, the better.”
It’s a situation university trustee Sara Moll—a triple alumna who earned her PhD in psychology at CWRU—saw firsthand as a clinical psychologist and a community volunteer. And it’s one that inspired her and her husband to invest in mental health care following heightened rates of loneliness and isolation after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Social connectedness is so important for mental health,” Feeny said. “But the ‘epidemic of loneliness’ highlights our need to build connections, do meaningful things and bridge social divides.”
Which is precisely what the Moll Institute aims to do.
More people with mental-health needs are turning to AI, which offers immediate support but raises potential red flags.
When immediate or cost-effective access to therapists or psychologists is unavailable, people—especially young adults—are turning to artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots for on-the-spot support.
Though it’s a quick solution in a crisis, said Moll Institute Executive Director Norah Feeny, it could raise significant concerns.
“For people on long waitlists, with limited resources, reluctant to seek treatment or in rural areas, AI may be a useful tool and/or adjunct to treatment,” Feeny said. However, myriad concerns exist around AI in this space—from privacy and confidentiality to feeding into delusions or encouraging unethical or unsafe behaviors.
“We need more research evaluating its helpfulness over time and thoughtful approaches to ethical issues,” Feeny said.
Illustrations by Grace J. Kim