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A new report on young people's mental health confirms that many young people are not seeking the help they need.
Almost one in ten young people aged 12 to 20 have suicidal thoughts. This is according to a report by Mental Helse.
According to recent research, every fifth student is afraid to go to school, and almost every tenth young man there is no one to share study breaks with.
Many young people he has no friends at all, which Secretary General for Mental Health Linda Berg-Heggelund says is very worrying. Even more so only half of young people affected by the problem seek help.
– This may be one of the reasons why various health services, such as child and adolescent psychiatry, are being reduced. The waiting time is long and for young personwho needs help here and now, it's bad to have to wait six weeks for someone to talk to, says Berg-Heggelund.
Three in ten experience bullying very much various forms, with backbiting and exclusion being the most important.
Have few or no friends
“One in five youngsters in a year people report very or rather poor mental health, with over a quarter confirming that they have experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression," the report reads.
Young people in particular are on the list of worries three things.
- Education and studies
- Friendship
- War and unrest in the world.
– We also see that suicidal thoughts are something that affects a certain group of people and we see that they are quite concerned about the future. They are young and have many concerns about what it will be like their life was likewhen they grow up, says the Secretary General.
Young people spend a lot of time on social media
social media are mentioned as potential sources of disappointment, especially Snapchat, which many young people use.
– Helps contribute to a greater experience of loneliness. Because it is a social media through which young people they post that they are at a party and hanging out with friends, and if you are not part of that community, the feeling of loneliness becomes even greater.
“Standing in seclusion becomes much more noticeable at any time of day,” adds Berg-Heggelund.
Good investment
According to the organization, the two-year pandemic in the world is also having a negative impact on the mental health of children and adolescents.
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“We know that young people in particular have been the ones most affected by this problem. One of the reasons is that they have been home schooled for a long time. As a result, they lost their natural social environment - and this may have contributed to the fact that it could have been more difficult for many close-knit young people. Berg-Heggelund says.
Mental Health describes the results as disturbing. Highlights the importance of introducing low-threshold services for children and young people across the board Norway – on young people's terms.
Now the organization hopes to get into classrooms and wants to offer school-based mental health programs.
“We need to facilitate measures that actually work,” says Berg-Heggelund.
– There is no better one investment than investing in children and youth – adds the Secretary General.