The influence of the media and gender norms can exacerbate the disparity between the lived reality of adolescents and their perceptions or aspirations for the future. Other important determinants of adolescent mental health are the quality of their family life and their relationships with their peers.

Violence (including harsh parents and bullying) and socio-economic problems are recognized as risks to mental health. Some adolescents are more at risk of mental health conditions due to their living conditions, stigmatization, discrimination or exclusion, or lack of access to quality services and support.

These include teenagers who live in humane and fragile environments; adolescents with chronic diseases, autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disability or other neurological conditions; pregnant teenagers, teenage parents or in early and / or forced marriages; orphans; and adolescents belonging to ethnic minorities or sexual backgrounds or other discriminated groups. Eating disorders are also worrying. Adolescents with mental health conditions are in turn particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma (which affects willingness to seek help), educational difficulties, risky behavior, poor physical conditions and violations of human rights. Half of all mental illnesses start at the age of 14, but most cases are not detected and are not treated.

In terms of the burden of the disease among adolescents, depression is the third leading cause. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29. Harmful use of alcohol and drugs among adolescents is a major problem in many countries and can lead to risky behaviors such as unsafe sex or dangerous driving. “The promotion and protection of the mental health of adolescents – recalls WHO – brings both short and long-term benefits also to economies and to society, with healthy young adults able to make a greater contribution to the workforce, families and communities and society as a whole.

Much can be done to help develop mental health recovery skills from an early age to help prevent mental distress and illness among adolescents and young adults. ” “Prevention – for the WHO – begins with being aware of the pathologies and understanding the warning signs and symptoms of mental illness. Parents and teachers can help children and adolescents cope with everyday challenges at home and at school. Psychosocial support can be provided in schools and other community settings and, of course, with training for health professionals to enable them to identify and manage mental health problems.

Investments by governments and the involvement of the social, health and education sectors in comprehensive, integrated programs based on concrete data for the mental health of young people are essential. The priorities of this year’s World Mental Health Day. – individual, group or self-guided online psychological interventions; – family-centered interventions such as the training of caregiver skills, including interventions that address the needs of assistants; – school interventions such as: organizational changes for a safe, safe and positive psychological environment; teaching about mental health and life skills;

Training of personnel in charge of the detection and basic management of suicide risk; school prevention programs for adolescents vulnerable to mental health conditions; – community level interventions such as peer leadership or mentoring programs; – prevention programs aimed at vulnerable adolescents, such as those affected by humanitarian and fragile contexts, and minority or discriminated groups; – programs to prevent and manage the effects of sexual violence on adolescents; – multi-sectoral suicide prevention programs; – multilevel interventions to prevent alcohol and substance abuse; – complete sex education to help prevent risky sexual behavior; – violence prevention programs.

WHO publications on adolescent health. The WHO has published a document to define a rapid action for the health of adolescents where mental health is also dealt with in order to help governments respond to their health needs. The document highlights the benefits of actively including adolescents in the development of national policies, programs and plans.

Always the WHO is the global strategy for the health of women, children and adolescents 2016-2030 emphasizes that every teenager has the right to achieve physical and mental well-being and identifies adolescents as fundamental to achieve sustainable development goals.