'All my plans were ruined': Covid's economic toll on young Americans

The pandemic has worsened existing economic hardships for young adults - and taken a serious toll on mental health

David Little of Tampa, Florida, obtained his master's degree in architecture and was excitedly waiting for his girlfriend to finish her degree before the couple moved to Philadelphia. The coronavirus pandemic halted those plans as they both struggled to find work matching their education.

I have no idea what I'm doing right now. My plans were completely ruined by all of this," said Little, 26, who was working as a valet before he was laid off in April. There are no jobs out there even nationwide for entry level architecture grads, there is no real end in sight, and with my girlfriend not having any income because she's also in architecture, it's causing tension that wouldn't normally be there."

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In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at www.befrienders.org