Mental health

The challenge

According to the study conducted in 2019, 18.2 per cent of young people (aged 15-19) had depressive symptoms, and 26.1 per cent had suicidal thoughts. These issues are directly related to strained relationships with fathers, physical and psychological abuse, alcohol use, situational anxiety, and lacking life goals.

Medical services for adolescents and young people in Belarus do not always take into account the specifics of their mental health, and they cannot cover all vulnerable young people (school psychologists are not trusted; other people devalue challenges of adolescents; there is stigma about seeking psychological help).

In addition, young people lack awareness about risk factors and they lack the skills to manage stress and resist peer pressure.

The solution

We practice a holistic approach to addressing the challenge; therefore, we support several programs to improve psychological health of children and adolescents.

For example, we have created Adolescent Friendly Centers (AFCs) together with our partners.

The Center is a place where adolescents and young people can seek help with their concerns free of charge, confidentially and anonymously.

At Adolescent Friendly Centers, professionals answer young people's questions, offer solutions to problems and help find a way out of a crisis. These are the most popular AFC specialists who are most often addressed by adolescents: a gynecologist, a psychologist, a urologist, a valeologist, a pediatrician. Addresses of the Centers can be found here.

We have launched a platform through which adolescents and young people can get qualified psychological assistance free of charge and confidentially: talk2ok.by. About 30 qualified psychologists with professional experience of at least 3 years cooperate with the platform. All of them have been trained to work with the platform and to counsel teenagers in crisis.

If a teenager has not decided whether s/he is ready to discuss her/his issue with an expert, s/he can chat with peer counselors on the talk2ok.by website. These are students, who are future psychologists.

It is possible for a teenager to discuss her/his situation with these peer counselors who have their own personal experience. “I know how you feel”: these words win over adolescents and help them discuss a worrying issue openly.

In addition, the platform provides free access to information and educational content. You can read publications on a topic of interest, think about your situation and make a decision. There are quick tips, too: how to raise self-esteem; what to do if you are offended at school, or how to make a career choice. There is a section with articles for parents of adolescents.

We — together with our partners — have developed a website to cope with stress: тысильнеестресса.бел. We have collected all the useful tips, exercises and materials in one portal to help people cope with stress. There you can find out how to help yourself with stress and how to support your child.

UNICEF Belarus/2022

Outcomes

About 8,000 young people have contacted two pilot Adolescent Friendly Centers in two recent years of operation. According to a UNICEF survey, 82 per cent of the Centers’ visitors recommend them to their friends.

Resourses

Study of mental health problems and suicidal behavior of adolescents and youth in Belarus (available only in Russian).

Publications, recommendations on the topic Mental health (in Russian).