On the occasion of European Mental Health Week (13-19 May), Unicef recalls that, according to the publication “Child and adolescent mental health – The State of Children in the European Union 2024”, approximately 11.2 million children and young people aged 19 and under in the European Union (i.e. 13%) suffer from a mental health problem (5.9 million males and 5.3 million females). Among people aged 15 to 19, about 8% suffer from anxiety and 4% from depression.
“Suicide is the second cause of death (after road accidents) among young people aged between 15 and 19 in the European Union – underlines Unicef -. In 2020, around 931 young people died by suicide in the EU, equivalent to the loss of around 18 lives per week. The prevalence of suicide has decreased over time in the EU, with 20% fewer suicides in 2020 compared to 2011. Around 70% of young people aged 15-19 in the EU die by suicide they are male.”
In Italy, among children aged between 15 and 19 who intentionally lost their lives between 2011 and 2020, 43% were boys and around 36% were girls.
Small investments
Around half (48%) of all mental health problems globally occur by age 18, yet many cases remain undetected and untreated. In the European Union, data on children’s access to mental health services is limited, but evidence suggests that, in 2022, for almost half of young adults (aged 18 to 29) mental health care needs for mental health were not satisfied. Levels of high life satisfaction among 15-year-olds fell from around 74% in 2018 to 69% in 2022 in the 23 countries for which data is available. This equates to over 220,000 fewer 15-year-olds in 23 EU countries with high life satisfaction in 2022 compared to 2018.
Unicef welcomes the EU’s continued and increasing focus on the mental health agenda in recent years, especially following the Covid-19 pandemic. But currently, investment in mental health services in EU countries is low compared to physical health. More emphasis needs to be placed on addressing the root causes of mental health problems through prevention initiatives and the promotion of positive mental health and well-being.
The situation in Italy
Last March 6, a delegation from UNICEF Italy and the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia met with the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci, to whom the over 21,000 signatures collected for the UNICEF petition were delivered ” Health for the mind of children and adolescents” to ask for actions to support the psychosocial well-being and mental health of girls, boys and adolescents.
