13% de los jóvenes en el mundo tiene un trastorno mental, según Unicef / The Global Coalition for Youth Mental Well-being

El representante del organismo en Uruguay, Francisco Benavides, afirmó que 40% de los jóvenes tienen problemas de ansiedad o depresión

La salud mental en adolescentes se convirtió en «un problema de suma importancia y una prioridad» para el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia (Unicef), que asegura que 13% de los jóvenes a nivel global han sido diagnosticados formalmente con trastornos de este tipo.

Así lo indicó este lunes su representante en Uruguay, Francisco Benavides, quien participó del seminario internacional «Salud Mental Adolescente: aportes a la estrategia nacional», organizado por la Agencia Uruguaya de Cooperación Internacional y Unicef.

«Sabemos que 13% de los adolescentes a nivel global han sido diagnosticados formalmente con un trastorno de salud mental. 40% de esos adolescentes tienen problemas de ansiedad o depresión», detalló.

Asimismo, indicó que la situación en Uruguay es coherente con lo que sucede en el resto del mundo, al tiempo que reveló que ese país es el segundo de la región con más casos de suicidio en adolescentes.

Por su parte, el ministro de Desarrollo Social de Uruguay, Martín Lema, detalló que una encuesta llevada a cabo en 2018 detalló que en ese país 14,2% de los jóvenes «se sintieron por más de dos semanas tristes o desesperados al punto de interrumpir sus actividades cotidianas».

También que 3,5% de los adolescentes encuestados «en algún momento pensó en quitarse la vida».

«Son situaciones dramáticas que requieren una respuesta. Esto trasciende fronteras, son causas humanas que la cooperación entre expertos de diferentes países compartiendo experiencias, indicadores, datos y llevando a la reflexión nos puede permitir reforzar la línea de acción a los efectos de buscar revertir este tipo de situaciones que todos lamentamos», agregó Lema.

Al mismo tiempo, el ministro detalló que en Uruguay se hicieron 420 talleres que apuntaron a dialogar sobre estos asuntos en los que participaron 12.500 jóvenes y en los que se capacitaron 1.100 adultos «a los efectos de implementar una cantidad de lineamientos».

El seminario internacional celebrado este lunes en el edificio anexo a la Torre Ejecutiva de Montevideo cuenta con la presencia de expertos que representan a institutos y fundaciones de diferentes países. EFE

The Global Coalition for Youth Mental Well-being

The Global Coalition for Youth Mental Wellbeing aims to mobilize public and private sector investment and action to promote youth mental well-being

Mental health and well-being are fundamental components of a child’s healthy development and future. However, one in seven adolescents live with a diagnosed mental health disorder. This is 13 percent of adolescents worldwide. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, children and young people carried the burden of mental health risks, with half of all mental disorders developing before age 15, and 75 per cent by early adulthood.

Despite this, wide gaps exist between mental health needs and mental health funding. Globally only 2.1% of government health expenditure is allocated to mental health. We pay a high economic price for this neglect – around US$387.2 billion worth of lost human potential that could go towards national economies each year. The cost in terms of how it affects real lives, however, is incalculable.

Launched in 2022 with the support of the Z Zurich Foundation, the Global Coalition for Youth Mental Well-being seeks to address this funding gap and the increasing global burden of mental disorders in youth by offering a global platform for investment and action on mental health promotion and prevention. The coalition aims to pool resources to strengthen young people’s social and emotional skills and provide a supportive environment for mental wellbeing, benefitting 30 million young people in 30 countries by 2030.

Increased funding and action is needed urgently. Failing to address mental health needs among youth can extend into adulthood; limiting young people’s opportunities to lead fulfilling lives, and societies’ pathways for upward growth. Often young people who have a mental health condition early in life face disproportionate challenges such as inability to continue education, engagement with criminal justice systems and indeed self-harm and suicide. The aim of the Coalition is to ensure that this great potential among our youth is not lost due to failure to promote well-being and prevent distress.

A unique framework connecting in-country programming, advocacy and learning  

The Coalition’s framework includes in-country programming targeting both caregivers and youth, global and local advocacy targeting the general public, governments and policy makers and the business community, and learning opportunities for all members and participants of this global movement. 

Supporting youth refugee’s mental well-being

In 2020, about 1% of refugees returned home. Building resources for self-care and supportive environments in new settings is essential to ensuring a transition that gives young people a chance to thrive.

We are currently adapting our interventions to support the well-being of adolescent and caregiver displaced from their homes and countries. This includes psychosocial intervention with adolescent refugees and peers in their host communities with a focus on skills for emotional wellbeing. While this is distinct from delivery of care and support services for young people experiencing distress, it seeks to universally support skills-building for the promotion of continued well-being and the prevention of severe mental health conditions.

We also focus on providing caregivers with the necessary information and support to promote adolescents’ well-being, strengthen their relationships, create safe spaces within their homes and, of course, supporting the caregivers’ own mental health and well-being. https://www.unicef.org/