Young People - About Youth Mental Health
Why is meeting the mental health needs of young people so important?
- The number one health issue for young people is their mental health: "70% of the health problems of young people and most of the mortality is due to mental and substance use disorders"(1).
- Youth is a time when people are particularly vulnerable to developing these difficulties (2). A number of recent studies have found that three-quarters of adults with a history of mental illness had clear signs of being in crisis when they were 18 years old and half of them were in crisis at 15 years old (3) . As these studies conclude "interventions aimed at prevention or early treatment need to focus on youth" (4).
- The best estimates we have suggest that in Ireland, at any given time, 20% of adolescents and young adults experience serious emotional distress (5). Of these, only a tiny minority are in contact with any form of helping agency. Vital opportunities for early intervention are being missed.
- Where timely, appropriate interventions are provided for these young people there is overwhelming evidence that many recover or at least develop coping strategies to manage stresses in their lives more effectively (6).
- Suicide is now the leading cause of death in young men, aged 15-24 in Ireland. More than a quarter (26%) of all deaths by suicide between 200 and 2004 occurred in young adults in their 20s. According to the World Health Organization, Ireland has the seventh highest rate of suicide in people aged 15-24 in the EU(7) .
- The highest percentage of first admissions to Irish psychiatric in-patient facilities in Ireland in 2005 was in the 20-24 year old age group(8) .
- All of our health and social policies prioritise early intervention, integrated youth-friendly services, and joined-up thinking, however there is a large implementation gap between policy and practice (9).
- Investing in the mental health of young people represents the most cost-effective action in preventing the continuous increase of mental health problems in all age groups (European Commission, 2004).
- Failure to provide timely, effective and appropriate interventions to children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties can have profound and lasting consequences (WHO, 2003 )(10).
- The case for early intervention is compelling: "If early detection and treatment of mental disorders were the norm, the possibility of preventing subsequent disorder would be increased. Furthermore, given the high rates of mental disorders as precursors to suicide, their early treatment would boost our chances of preventing this fatal outcome in youth"(11) .
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