2023-10-10 14:44:31
October 10, 2023
This is a trend that has lasted since the health crisis and its confinements. The various surveys highlight a deterioration in the mental health of adolescents and young adults. Public Health France is launching a prevention campaign on the occasion of World Mental Health Day.
The deterioration began with the Covid-19 crisis; in 2023, the situation continues to worsen. While the mental health of the French remains at half mast in 2023, adolescents (11-17 years old) and young adults (18-24 years old) remain the most fragile populations. Anxiety, depression, dark thoughts… the use of emergency care for mood disorders, suicidal ideas and gestures increased sharply in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, “the increase continued markedly”, note Public Health France.
On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the health agency is sending a prevention message to young people, while 18-24 year olds were 20.8% affected by depression in 2021, compared to 11. 7% in 2017. “The data collected since 2020 demonstrates a deterioration in mental health among adolescents and young adults and a still taboo perception of these issues,” analyzes Dr. Caroline Semaille, Director General of Public Health France.
How to take care of your mental health?
In order to help adolescents and young adults take care of their mental health, Public Health France is launching a campaign called “Le Fil Good”. Or five good practices highlighted in videos broadcast on social networks.
- Practicing physical activity;
- Get enough sleep with regular schedules;
- Take time for leisure and hobbies;
- Help others ;
- Practice gratitude.
This campaign aims to raise awareness among young people about prevention. According to figures from the Coviprev survey waves on mental health carried out among the entire population, young people are less inclined to take care of their mental health and well-being than their elders. « Fewer of them think they can act on it, less inclined to talk about it with their doctor, and less frequently believe in the existence of effective solutions to treat anxiety or depression. In 2022, 35% of 18-24 year olds felt like they weren’t taking care of their mental health or well-being. Among these young people, 32% said they did not know how to do it, 29% said they did not have the time and 25% did not feel capable.
Increases in suicidal ideation among 11-17 year olds
As for consulting a psychologist, the price constitutes a barrier for the majority of them, as well as the difficulty in confiding or the fear of what they could discover about themselves, and the fear that those around them will find out. . However, in this segment of the population and particularly among 18-24 year olds, « the levels of visits to emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts, as well as those of SOS Médecins medical procedures for anxiety, were significantly higher than in previous years ».
Another highlight, visits to emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts were also on the rise among 11-17 year olds, in September 2023. More specifically, among 17 year olds, “9.5% were affected by severe anxiety-depressive symptoms in 2022 compared to 4.5% in 2017 and 18% had suicidal thoughts during the year compared to 11% in 2017”.
To note : in addition to the campaign, a helpline for young people aged 12 to 25, the Youth Health Line, is available on 0 800 235 236, 7 days a week, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. A resource site also provides information, including nearby reception facilities.
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Source : Public health France, October 9, 2023
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Written by : Dorothée Duchemin – Edited by Emmanuel Ducreuzet
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