New survey shows 'alarming' growth in levels of anxiety and depression among young
More than one in five adolescents suffer from severe anxiety, it has emerged.
The number of adolescents aged between 12 and 19, reporting severe anxiety doubled from 11% to 22%.
Levels of severe anxiety in young adults (18-25 years) increased from 15% to 26% - an 11% increase.
The significant increase in anxiety since 2012 is reported in My World Survey 2, a major study on youth mental health.
The proportion of adolescents who fell into the severe and very severe categories for depression increased from 8% to 15%.
Young adults with severe and very severe depression had also increased – from 14% to 21%.
Young adults (33%) were also more likely to report that they deliberately hurt themselves without wanting to take their own life than those in the earlier survey (22%).
About two-thirds had thought about taking their life but “would not do it”. Sadly, one in ten had made a suicide attempt.
It emerged that males had significantly higher self-esteem, optimism and life satisfaction than females.
Also when adolescents were faced with problems, 60% talked about them with someone.
Females (63%) were more likely than males (56%) to talk to someone about their problems.
Over 19,000 young people were consulted for the follow-up and extension of the 2012 My World Study 1.
There was a decrease from 45% to 39% in the proportion of adolescents being bullied and those who had ever consumed alcohol had fallen from 51% to 42%.
One in ten young adults did not drink alcohol, 42% drank alcohol every week and 2% daily or almost daily.
Of those who drank, 7% were at risk of harm and 6% were classified as having possible alcohol dependence.
More than half (53%) of young adults had smoked cannabis and 40% had used drugs other than those needed for medical reasons.
The comprehensive study of young people's mental health was developed by Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health, and the University College Dublin's School of Psychology.
Chief executive of Jigsaw, Dr Joseph Duffy, said the study indicated that more needs to be done to address the main issues affecting young people.
“The increased levels of anxiety and depression, the decreased levels of self-esteem, optimism and life-satisfaction and growing trends of self-harm are of particular concern,” said Dr Duffy.
A member of Jigsaw's youth advisory panel, Rachel White, said the report must be the start of a new and honest conversation about what it is to be young in Ireland.
While there were some positives the report was, in the main, a wake-up call, said Ms White
The question we should really be asking ourselves is are we ready as a nation to step up and take up collective responsibility for our young people's mental health and the answer should be, and must be, a loud and emphatic yes.
She was glad, however, that social media was not the “demon” that some people would have them believe.
“Young people are predominantly using social media to enhance and continue friendships and relationships that they made offline,” she pointed out.
