Under-18 mental health decline

[Strato]

I see there is a MAP Mental Health Crisis thread on the Mu Discussion board, so thought it worth raising the topic of the mental health of children and youth here. Given the news below, the situation for many kids looks pretty bad too.

“Evidence suggests that in many countries, the mental health of young people has been declining over the past two decades, signalling a warning that global megatrends and changes in many societies are increasing mental ill health. Mental illnesses have their peak onset at age 15 years, and early intervention is crucial.” https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/y ... tal-health

“Psychiatric medication prescriptions to children and teenagers have more than doubled in the past 10 years amid a growing mental health "crisis" among Australia's youth. New government data shows the use of stimulants and antidepressants among under-18s surged between 2013 and 2023, followed by a smaller increase in antipsychotics. The rising medication use is a side effect of growing mental distress among young people.” https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-09-25/ ... /104310158

“In 2023, about 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8 to 25 years had a probable mental disorder. More than 1 in 4 children aged 8 to 16 years (26.8%) with a probable mental disorder had a parent who could not afford for their child to take part in activities outside school or college, compared with 1 in 10 (10.3%) of those unlikely to have a mental disorder.” https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-informa ... -follow-up

[Lennon72]

Those are some very sobering statistics. Thank you for sharing.

[Strato]

Those are some very sobering statistics. Thank you for sharing.

You are welcome.

Call me a cynic, but I doubt western governments are remotely motivated to discern the true reasons for the decline in children's mental health. The UK stats for example, highlight 'climate change anxiety' as a primary concern. It would not surprise me at all if either the NHS was used to spin the climate change narrative on behalf of a woke UK government at the expense of a whole generation, or that kids have fallen victim to relentless climate change propaganda pumped out via the media. Perhaps if the NHS and its statisticians delved deeper into how society itself is failing its children, then maybe we might begin to see some major corrective action being taken. I won't hold my breath though.