Mental health

Childhood and adolescence are critical stages of life for mental health. It’s a time when rapid growth and development take place in the brain, and children acquire the foundational cognitive and social-emotional skills that shape their future mental health as adults. Early negative experiences in homes, schools, or online, such as exposure to violence, the mental illness of a parent or caregiver, bullying, and poverty, increase the risk of mental illness. 

Mental health is a fundamental part of children’s overall health and well-being. Yet global estimates suggest that around 1 in 7 (15%) adolescents aged 10–19 experience a mental health condition. In Cambodia, mental health distress among young people was exacerbated during COVID-19 and the accompanying school disruptions, with many feeling sad (32%) and experiencing loneliness (28%) and fear (24%)¹. In 2021, 7 out of 100,000 deaths of adolescents aged 15–19 years old was caused by self-harm². Many young people may feel like they don’t have a safe space to share their thoughts and feelings, feel ashamed to seek help or speak up, or don’t know where to go to access mental health services. 

UNICEF is working to improve child and adolescent mental health and well-being in Cambodia by empowering young people, parents, and caregivers to break mental health stigma, promote positive help-seeking behaviours and habits, and strengthen the quality and accessibility of mental health and psychosocial services for children and young people. 

For young people: Share, talk and help each other

UNICEF Cambodia is working for and with young people to break the silence around mental health and help children and adolescents build the foundation for lifelong well-being and resilience. This could mean adopting healthy sleep patterns, exercising regularly, learning to manage emotions, and building loving, trusting relationships at home, school, and in the community.

By raising awareness and encouraging open conversations, we can help reduce stigma and make it easier for children and young people to seek support. Talking about how you feel, reaching out to others, and checking in on loved ones are simple but powerful steps.

• Open the conversation: Start with a simple question: “What’s on your mind?” instead of “What’s wrong with you?” Creating a safe, non-judgmental space is the first step in supporting someone in distress.
• Focus on relationships: Healthy connections with parents, peers, and mentors are crucial to building long-term resilience.
• Routine and regulation: Simple “pause rituals”, like intentional breathing or 10 minutes of screen-free time, help regulate the nervous system during stressful periods.