Youth in crisis: Our topic in May
The realisation that I was ill came the hard way. The doctors were unequivocal: «If you carry on like this, you'll die.» With these words , 16-year-old Sara describes to my colleague Virginia Nolan the moment when she realised that she couldn't control her eating disorder on her own. What triggered the crisis? «The loss of a friendship had really affected me. I started to doubt myself and tried to gain control over my body by working out harder and eating less.»
Sara is one of 12,000 young women aged between 10 and 24 who underwent inpatient psychotherapy treatment in Switzerland in 2021. That's a quarter more than in the previous year. The increase is unprecedented, and the reasons are worrying and complex.
Psychiatrists and psychologists agree that many young people are under enormous pressure. The top stressor is school. Not only exams and homework, but also stress caused by arguments in class, conflicts with teachers or bullying. At primary school level, around two children per class are affected by anxiety disorders; at secondary school level, one pupil is depressed.
Others attribute the emotional distress of young people to the global situation. The pandemic, the climate crisis, then the war in Ukraine; the permanent state of crisis creates feelings of powerlessness and throws many people off course. As does the excessive use of social media. The constant comparison with others, the flood of negative news - it all makes people unhappy.
Children experience too little that they can succeed in real life. Self-efficacy can only be experienced in the real world, not virtually.
Eliane Perret, psychologist and curative educator
Adolescents are particularly vulnerable during puberty: their satisfaction with their own existence decreases rapidly, many feel unstable and disorientated and feel a great emptiness. «They dive into virtual worlds. They need to feel more grounded,» says psychologist Eliane Perret.
Mental illness is no longer a stigma today. Parents, children and young people are more willing to accept help. Like 15-year-old Lea, who describes the beginning of her mental health crisis as follows: «The mood swings came on gradually. I was confused, increasingly desperate and lost the joy of what I loved. Then I started to hurt myself.» Never in her life would she have thought that she would need therapy.
Experts agree on one point: stable self-esteem and the experience of self-efficacy can reduce the risk of mental illness. Parents should instil an optimistic attitude in their child - and not try to spare them moments of frustration.
«Adults should show children what life is all about. That it presents us with challenges and that these can be overcome,» says Eliane Perret. After all, it's not failure at a task that destroys self-esteem, but preventing a child from developing self-esteem in the first place.
Yours sincerely
Nik Niethammer
