Four out of ten Spanish adolescents (41%) say they have had or believe they have had a mental health problem in the last 12 months and, of them, one in three has not spoken to anyone about said problems and more than half have not asked for help, according to an opinion barometer published by UNICEF.
The study, called ‘Mental health is a matter for children and adolescents’ has been developed based on the opinions of 4,740 adolescents between 13 and 18 years old from 168 educational centers throughout Spain, it reveals the reasons why they do not ask for help, due to the desire to keep their mental health problems secret, 60% , or the lack of trust in the staff at their educational center, 55.9%.
Many adolescents consider that their mental health problems are not important, they do not know what is happening to them or they do not know who or where to turn.
Furthermore, many adolescents consider that their mental health problems are not important, they do not know what is happening to them or they do not know who or where to turn. Those who ask for help, 73.6%, turn to their friends, 60.8% to a psychologist, to professionals from the educational center 34%, to medical and psychiatric professionals 30%, or to professionals on the Internet and social networks 32. 7%.
WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH ANOTHER BOY WITH MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS?
Asked about their perception of people who suffer from a mental health problem, almost 8 out of 10 said that they would maintain a friendship with someone their age who is visiting or has visited a mental health professional, and 25.8% think that People with mental health problems feel shame.
The negative consequences of this environment are that 16.2% of adolescents claim that people their age with mental health problems do not behave as well as the rest of the class; 14.9% would not like there to be a mental health center on their street and 12.9% consider that having such a center nearby would make them feel unsafe.
Among the factors that most affect are low self-esteem, alcohol or other drug use, physical health problems and economic difficulties.
In relation to the factors that increase well-being and mental health, sleep is the most important, followed by physical exercise and followed by a balanced diet. Among the most affecting factors are low self-esteem, using alcohol or other drugs, physical health problems and financial difficulties.
Many adolescents highlight being victims of bullying or cyberbullying, 80.1%, or having family problems, 77.1%. Meanwhile, 13% of adolescent boys and girls consider that issues related to the environment and climate change harm mental health.
But low self-esteem affects girls more, in addition to feeling a lack of clarity regarding their sexual orientation or identity, or uncertainty about the future.
THE PROBLEM OF SOCIAL NETWORKS
Asking about the frequency of use of social networks and how the interactions and information they find on these platforms affects their mental health, the study shows that, although, in general, the information on the subject does not It stresses them out, many claim to feel the need to show a perfect life, especially adolescent girls.
Specifically, 98.5% of adolescents claim to have ever used a social network; and more than half say that they have never felt overwhelmed or stressed by the amount of information received about mental health and that they have used social networks to express their own experiences and thoughts related to this topic.
About those who They do experience stress due to the amount of information about mental health that they find on social networks, it is observed that the discomfort increases with age; and, in terms of gender differences, more than twice as many girls as boys compare themselves to the profiles of people who show perfect lives and who appear to have good mental health on social networks.
Less than half of those interviewed consider that it is useful to read news on social networks to inform themselves about mental health problems
Less than half of those interviewed consider that it is useful to read news on social networks to inform themselves about mental health problems, but fewer claim to have found useful resources for their mental health through social networks.
Analyzing the results of these statistics, UNICEF Spain proposes a series of recommendationsamong which stand out: strengthening prevention, early detection and mental health care programs and services in the field of Primary Health Care; have updated, comparable and disaggregated official data; provide tools in schools to prevent emotional distress; promote the regulation and enabling training of the figure of the Child Welfare and Protection Coordinator; enhance the participation of minors in social awareness campaigns on mental health and the eradication of stigma; support families and caregivers, and encourage digital platforms and services to establish access controls by age.