The young and the restless? Why millennials are so stressed Top stressors include work, money, and relationships

Americans are less stressed than they were in 2008—except for young adults, who experience more financial and occupational anxiety than any other age group, according to an American Psychological Association (APA) survey.

For the survey, Harris Interactive last August asked more than 2,000 adults to rate their stress levels on a 10-point scale. With one indicating no stress and 10 indicating extreme stress, participants reported an average of 4.9, according to the survey. Overall, 20% reported a stress level of eight or higher, down from 24% in 2010.

But in the 18- to 33-year-old age group—also known as "millennials"—participants reported an average stress level of 5.4. More than half said that stress has "kept them awake at night" in the past month, and 39% say their stress has increased over the last year.

What is stressing millennials out more than any other age group? According to the survey:

76% say they worry about work;

73% worry about finances; and

59% worry about relationships.

"Millennials are growing up at a tough time," says Mike Hais, who co-authored a book on the generation called Millennial Momentum.

He told USA Today that millennials "were sheltered in many ways, with a lot of high expectations for what they should achieve. Individual failure is difficult to accept when confronted with a sense you're an important person and expected to achieve. Even though, in most instances, it's not their fault—the economy collapsed just as many of them were getting out of college and coming of age—that does lead to a greater sense of stress."

As a result, millennials are being diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorders more than their older counterparts, according to the survey. Nearly one-fifth of them reported being diagnosed with depression and 12% say they have been told they have an anxiety disorder.

"There is a greater awareness of mental health services available, many more medications than there used to be for this, and perhaps more self-awareness in terms of feelings that might be receptive to some sort of treatment," National Institute of Mental Health epidemiologist Lisa Colpe says, adding that "[a]ll those have combined to create a different picture than maybe what we've seen decades ago" (Jayson, USA Today, 2/7).