In a report published this Monday, October 5, 2021, Unicef shares its analysis (the most comprehensive ever conducted) on the mental health of children and adolescents in the world. Disclosed during the international conference “Mind Our Rights, Now!”, The report indicates, among other things, that more than 13% of adolescents are affected by a mental health disorder without any substantial investment having been made for it. remediate.
More than 13% of adolescents are said to have a mental health disorder
In its report entitled “The State of the World’s Children 2021; In my head: To promote, protect and take charge of the mental health of children ”, Unicef alerts on the mental health of children and adolescents around the world. According to the UN agency, more than 13% of adolescents aged 10 to 19 would be affected by a mental health disorder out of the 1.2 billion adolescents in the world in 2020. Among these mental disorders , 40% of them who have been diagnosed are anxiety and depression.
In addition, according to figures in the Unicef report, there are nearly 45,800 teenage suicides each year in the world, which is equivalent to one suicide every eleven minutes. It is even the fourth leading cause of death in the world among 15-19 year olds.
“The pandemic is only the tip of the iceberg”
Although the mental health of young people has deteriorated with the Covid-19 pandemic and the situation has been highlighted by the health crisis, Unicef recalls that “even before the pandemic, far too many children suffered from distress psychosocial and mental health problems ”. According to Henrietta H. Force, director general of the institution, “ COVID-19 pandemic is just the tip of the iceberg of mental health issues in children and youth “.
Few resources devoted to the care of mental disorders
Faced with this fact, the organization dedicated to the rights of the child denounces the limited resources devoted to the care of mental disorders. While ” only around 2% of health budgets go to mental health globally “, The Director General of Unicef deplores an investment” too low “and recalls that private and public institutions have a role to play. According to her, ” Mental health is part of physical health. We cannot continue to consider otherwise “.
Unicef then encourages organizations to “ urgently invest in child and adolescent mental health across sectors », From promotion to protection, including taking charge of the mental health of children, young people and those who care for them.
