Don't leave _____ for later.
UNICEF's national campaign in support of mental health of youth and adolescents
- Srpski
- English
Why is the mental health of children, youth and adolescents a topic in focus?
Globally:
It is estimated that more than 15% of adolescents aged 10 to 19 live with a diagnosed mental disorder
Self-harm was the sixth leading cause of death among adolescents aged 10 to 14, and the second leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15 to 24
About 28% of people who witness a mass shooting develop PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), about one-third have acute stress disorder, while over 90% of them temporarily develop symptoms of anxiety, depression and PTSD
In Serbia:
There are only 43 psychiatrists for children and youth who provide services for mental health protection and psychosocial support
Only 12% of young people are aware of counseling services at the local level
And according to the latest U-Report survey from August 2023:
37% of young people sought help outside the circle of family and friends, while 24% thought about it
47% of respondents believe that young people do not ask for help because it is a sign of weakness and they are afraid of being judged
Only 5% see teachers and 7% health workers as the main source of information on how to take care of mental health, while 46% use social networks and the Internet for this
28% of young people believe that mental health training for teachers and other professionals would be beneficial and 47% would like to see more resources and concrete services in schools and the community
Mental health protection and psychosocial support system in Serbia
The current system for mental health protection and psychosocial support in Serbia is not ready to respond to crisis situations such as we saw in the first half of this year, while on the other hand, the mental well-being of children and young people has become an increasingly important topic in recent years, especially during and after the covid-19 pandemic.
Research shows that the number of children hospitalized for mental health disorders and the number of diagnoses per child patient is constantly increasing, while the number of doctors and mental health professionals providing mental health support is decreasing, because currently, as already stated, only 43 doctors cover the whole country.
According to the results of a longitudinal study by UNICEF in Serbia on the impact of COVID-19 on families, done in three waves between March 2020 and May 2021, 17% of children and young people experienced a deterioration in mental health during the pandemic, based on which we see that the crises disproportionately affect to adolescents aged 13-17 from families with lower incomes from Belgrade and other urban areas. The survey showed that 43% of children aged 7-12 and 44% of adolescents aged 13-17 had difficulty concentrating in at least one wave of the survey. The most common mental health problem in children is irritability, reported by parents of 42% of children aged 7-12 and 44% of adolescents aged 13-16 in at least one survey wave.
UNICEF and mental health of children, youth and adolescents
For the third year in a row, UNICEF in Serbia is implementing a national campaign to support the mental health of children, young people and adolescents, with the main aim of raising awareness among young people and their parents about the importance of mental health, building informal support systems (family, friends), the importance of a supportive family environment on a regular basis mental development of children and young people.
In 2021, with the "From my angle" campaign, we took a look at how young people experience and deal with mental health problems, how they become aware of them and how they are observed.
In 2022, with the "How are you? But really..." campaign, we worked to encourage the development of informal support systems and emphasize the importance of a supportive environment, conversations with family and friends, as well as to show that mental health problems are not always visible, and that you need to talk about them and ask those you love from time to time how they are - but really, with understanding and a desire to get feedback, not just "for the sake of order".
In 2023, in observance of International Mental Health Day, we initiated a new campaign in support of mental health entitled "Don't leave _____ for later."
We want to ask the question - how often do we take a moment for ourselves and each other?
How often is work, responsibilities, college, money, school, training, a result or an exam more important to us than taking time for ourselves and each other and is mental health often the last thing in the line of things we deal with, until it comes to the problem.
Our goal is to highlight the importance of key relationships in the lives of children and young people, which are necessary for a quality life and lay a good foundation for mental health throughout life.
The key relationships we wanted to focus on are:
- Young people with themselves
- Young people interacting with their peers and friends
- Youth and family
- Young people and their emotional partners
- Young people and experts who play an important role in their lives (coaches, therapists, pedagogues, doctors, professors and others)
- And finally, the attitude of relevant decision-makers and institutions towards the mental health of young people, as well as their willingness to work on improving existing and providing additional capacities to support the mental health of children, young people and adolescents
2023 campaign goals:
UNICEF Serbia’s Adolescent and Youth Development Programme has targeted the issue of child and adolescent mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, the current burden of mental health problems on children and families, and the need for a strong programmatic response by the Serbian government. It especially targets this global issue as it has been exacerbated in the time of the world COVID-19 pandemic, and its months of school closure, economic uncertainty and rising stress and anxiety among young people.
In response the team has identified four key and well-thought strategies:
1. Reform of Serbia’s national systems responsible for mental health to better serve the needs of adolescents.
2. Increased training for professionals in mental health and psychosocial wellbeing to serve the special needs of adolescents.
3. Solid outreach aimed at adolescents to help them understand that mental health issues are common and treatable and how they can get help.
4. The investment of resources to increase mental health services for young people.
