The Covid-19 pandemic is impacting the mental health of the youth

We are seeing a variety of statistics confirming that poor mental health is growing amongst the general European population and specifically in young people since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, May 2021) shows that the incidence of mental health problems among people aged between 15 and 24 has doubled in most countries during the pandemic. The same data shows that young people were 30% to 80% more likely to experience depression or anxiety than adults in certain countries (Belgium, France and the United States). Higher levels of loneliness are also being reported by young people.

Moreover, the State of the World’s Children report from UNICEF (October 2021) provides disturbing data about the breadth and depth of adolescent mental health issues and highlights that suicide is the second leading cause of young people’s death in Europe.

MHE’s Laura Marchetti spoke to Euractiv about how the Covid-19 pandemic is impacting the mental health of the youth.

Listen to the interview with Euractiv

Youth Mental Health data from OECD and UNICEF

20 January 2022