Teen Suicide Prevention Week: More should be done to address mental health issues affecting youth
17 February 2022
During the month of February, the world observes Teen Suicide Prevention Week. For seven days the focus will be on adolescent and youth physical and mental health challenges, as well as the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic increased mental health concerns among this demographic.
According to reports, since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the mental health of young people has deteriorated considerably with a rise adolescent depression, anxiety, and self-harm.
The intervening question we must ask ourselves now, more than ever, is how we can effectively support young people with mental health challenges, particularly during Covid-19, when mental health services created for young people, particularly in schools, universities, and workplaces, were disrupted for several months.
The struggle with mental health is one of the many contributing factors to school drop-out rates among young people. Those who dropout are more susceptible to depression and low self-esteem, as well as other mental health challenges. More should be done to address these growing mental health issues, particularly at the school level.