This deep dive examines the escalating mental health crisis among Western youth, characterized by rising rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. It argues that these statistical trends are symptoms of a deeper crisis of meaning rooted in the historical rise of philosophical nihilism—the conviction that life is inherently purposeless. The analysis connects this philosophical shift to a range of interlocking social and environmental stressors, including family instability, the pressures of late-stage capitalism and consumer culture, and existential anxieties stemming from modern warfare and climate change.