An international study warns that the escalating wave of mental health issues amongst the youth endangers the unity and prosperity of global societies. The study identifies the primary factors fuelling this surge as intergenerational disparity, unregulated social media, job instability, and the climate crisis.
Published by The Lancet Psychiatry Journal, the report claims that mental health problems, which have been dominating health and social problems impacting young people’s lives and futures for decades, have reached a perilous stage. This vast, intricate study was headed by over 50 authors, including renowned psychologist Prof Barbara Dooley from University College Dublin, and is the product of years-long research.
The study asserts that society’s ongoing neglect and indifference to the mental health of the youth, compounded by its failure to recognise and address their needs, have exacerbated the problem. Over the past twenty years, the mental wellbeing of youngsters in numerous nations has deteriorated, a situation only made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequent containment measures.
As mental illnesses typically manifest around the age of 15, the researchers emphasise the pressing need for timely intervention and improved mental health treatments to curb the rates of premature death, disability, and lost potential, all of which have surged over the past 20 years.
The report was compiled by Orygen, Australia’s foremost youth mental health centre. It notes that mental health problems account for 45% of the total health burden for 10-24 year olds worldwide, and the demand for mental health assistance has surged by 50% in the past two decades.
Orygen’s director, Prof Patrick McGorry, hailed the study as a significant stride towards acknowledging youth mental health as a key priority on the global health agenda.
Previously, in 2011, the World Economic Forum highlighted that mental illness was the most significant factor for loss of global gross domestic product (GDP) amongst non-communicable diseases.
The researchers emphasise that much of the human impact and economic losses associated with mental health issues can be attributed to their emergence early in life. This, married with the worldwide indifference towards mental health due to the stigma and discrimination inherent in healthcare settings and medical research, is a cause for concern. The researchers portray mental illness as a self-inflicted societal affliction.
Besides this, they posit that other factors such as insufficient action on climate change, an unchecked digital world including social media, and societal exclusion manifesting through unstable employment, limited access to affordable housing and generational inequality have collectively cast a gloomy picture for young individuals in numerous countries.
Despite such concerning trends, the researchers note a glimmer of hope. The severity of these issues is beginning to be recognised, and some initiatives are starting to emerge. One such initiative is from the United States, where Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy has recently warned about the grave risks social media poses, and its contribution to the burgeoning mental health crisis amongst youth.
Nonetheless, they warn that this crisis is universal and necessitates a thorough examination of the overarching trends and malleable risk factors that sway it. They also highlight the need for a comprehensive global strategy that can incite both national and localised plans to tackle these issues.
The research article underlines that addressing the mental health crisis amongst youth is imperative, given their central role to societal functions and contributions. With an increasing number of young adults facing premature death, dependency on welfare, lack of respect and nurture, and precarity, it is suggested that society at large becomes vulnerable. This youth mental health crisis is perceived as a dire signal that demands immediate corrective actions.