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Experts are sounding alarms over a "dangerous" decline in the mental health of young people worldwide, citing factors such as intergenerational inequality, pervasive social media use, low wages, unstable employment, and the climate crisis.
The Lancet Commission on Psychiatry's study, published Wednesday, highlights an urgent need for action to improve mental health treatments and address these issues. The study reveals a dramatic rise in mental health problems among young people over the past two decades, resulting in increased premature deaths, disabilities, and loss of capacity.
Professor Patrick McGorey, a leading psychiatrist on the study, described this decline as "the most serious threat to public health." He emphasized that if the same rapid deterioration were occurring in other health areas, such as diabetes or cancer, governments would take immediate and dramatic action.
The report notes that mental illness now accounts for at least 45% of the total disease burden in individuals aged 10 to 24 years. Despite this, only 2% of the global health budget is allocated to mental health. Even in wealthy countries, the study finds that less than half of mental health needs are being met.
[Source: The Guardian]
