According to research by UNICEF mental illnesses among young people are on the rise: It is estimated that 1 in 7 young people worldwide between the ages of 10 and 19 are living with a diagnosed mental disorder. Every year, around 46,000 children and youth worldwide commit suicide.
This means that a young life has been cut short every eleven minutes due to suicide. Children and young adults are starting to suffer from mental disorders and addiction diseases earlier and earlier. It seems that the soul of young people is more sensitive to stressful environments and external shocks than ever before. There are more and more of them who are prone to self-harm and those who have suicidal thoughts.
Why do young people take their own lives, what are the reasons that force them to do so, and how much society as a whole is responsible for the loss of every young life?
The period of adolescent growth is painful itself. The young people at that age are faced with many problems with self-image and the attitude towards the body, difficulty managing emotions and behavior, undeveloped personal identity, or a struggle to be accepted by a peer group. In addition, the recent pandemic and isolation requirements left enormous consequences for children’s and young adults’ mental well-being. People in this age group, are particularly vulnerable to getting thrown off course and the possibility of derailment has intensified over the past years.
Many suffer from low self-esteem, feeling worthless, feeling hopeless, and being powerless to control the stress and pressure a young person is facing today. Suicide comes as the last act to escape the ‘difficult’ reality, to find peace and oblivion, and a hope that “there in the other world” will be better.
Suicide is an unpleasant topic, a taboo topic, a topic that is avoided. It is painful for those who stay. It is painful in itself, because of the loss. Only when that happens, the public is shocked, individuals are condemned and we look for the culprit in institutions, parents, the time we live in.
How much are we as individuals and society responsible for it and what can we do to help these vulnerable people? Are the problems of young people invisible to adults, what are the signs that indicate that a young soul is in trouble, and how to help them at the most sensitive age? Are we too preoccupied with our problems, or ignorant, or just incapable to set up safe frameworks and environments for our children growing up?
The responsibility is ours. Schools, educators, parents, and society, all bear a joint responsibility in preventing tragic endings. To make any progress against the growing mental health crisis and suicide epidemic, how we raise, educate, protect, support, and socialize our children must be changed.
Also, the mental health crisis of our children and youth must become more visible in our society. Raising awareness about the importance of mental health, as well as creating and improving a system to help young people with mental health problems and psychological suffering should be our high-level priorities.