The campaign’s focus on youth wellbeing aligns with broader development frameworks, including the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which seeks healthy and productive citizens, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 on health and wellbeing. SereniMind operates at the intersection of health technology, youth development and digital advocacy. Public health advocates also point out that while Africa has one of the youngest populations globally, mental health systems across the continent remain under-resourced. The approachable manner of the interns and the expertise of the professors created a supportive learning environment, making the program both informative and inspiring. The speakers highlighted the dangers of substance misuse, its impact on physical and mental health, and the importance of early intervention.
Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Awareness Month: Key Information for Teens and Families
Some adolescents are at greater risk of mental health conditions due to their living conditions, stigma, discrimination or exclusion, or lack of access to quality support and services. The more risk factors adolescents are exposed to, the greater the potential impact on their mental health. Awareness of mental health warning signs, ways to get accessible care, and methods to engage in honest conversations with loved ones go a long way in helping young people feel seen, respected, and loved as they navigate strong and overwhelming emotions. These guidelines address interventions for the promotion of mental health and prevention of mental health conditions in adolescents. Young people from minority and migrant communities are affected disproportionately by mental health conditions. Poor mental health in adolescence is one of a number of factors influencing risk-taking behaviour, including self-harm; use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs; risky sexual behaviours; and exposure to violence.
Firstly, prospective studies utilising comparable sampling methods and measurement approaches are needed to validate trends within and across specific regions and nations, including and especially need to include low- and middle-income countries. Subsequently the effective implementation of strategies that target such harmful forces undermining this and other related aspects of public health must be pursued. This regulatory gap has allowed platforms to prioritize engagement and profit over the well-being of their users, particularly vulnerable populations like young people.
3.1. Prevention
There is increasing evidence of climate change impacts on young people’s mental health who are a priority population group in the context of climate change. Economic downturns negatively impact young people’s mental health, with effects comparable across different economic indicators like unemployment rates and housing prices (163). Across the working-age population, young Australians (15–24 years) have shown the largest decrease in mental health and wellbeing and increase in high/very high symptoms of psychological distress since 2010 (160). Furthermore, between 2009 and 2017, the association between social media usage and depressive symptoms was found to be weak and confined to only 2009–2010 (152). Other studies using the same surveys analysed by Twenge et al. indicate a small correlation between social media usage and both depressive symptoms and wellbeing (150–152) and that social media explained only 4% of the increase in depressive symptoms (150). These findings are limited by the broad categories used to measure usage (e.g., ‘almost every day’), which do not capture the variance in this variable given that the majority of young people use social media daily (150).
New WHO guidelines on promoting mental health among adolescents
While conditions such as depression are frequently referred to as an “invisible illness”, its sufferers can face stigma, unemployment, poverty and isolation. Aside from misunderstandings, people living with mental illness in PNG are particularly vulnerable to marginalisation. Otherwise Military child well-being toolkit resources generally many people who experience trauma during tribal fights, natural disasters, workplace trauma, even the Bougainville conflict and family sexual violence, just to name a few, are not considered to need such professional help.
- A global focus is needed to coordinate national and harmonised surveillance efforts in monitoring trends (226).
- We provide information & support to LGBTQ+ young people 24/7, all year round.
- Trends in relation to gender suggest greater increases among females for anxiety, depression, distress, emotional problems, psychosis, and internalising symptoms (31, 34, 37, 39, 63, 74–78).
- Factors driving the mental health crisis in youth today are wide-ranging and extremely nuanced, often creating the illusion of a lack of severity and a simple way out.
- It can cause severe symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working.
- For example, integrating mental health education into school curricula helps to normalize discussions about mental health and provide students with tools for managing stress and emotional challenges (261, 263).