Latest news with #youthmentalhealth
Irish Times
7 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Rise in young people's mental health difficulties partly due to housing insecurity, says charity
Rachel White remembers being 10 years old and locking herself in the bathroom so she could cry without other people knowing. 'It was a safe space. I would get so overwhelmed and I would be over-analysing anything. I felt conscious, constantly aware of everything,' she says. The now 25-year-old remembers doing a test when she was 12 to mark the end of primary school. 'I got so stressed out I completely blacked out.' She didn't know it then, but that was the beginning of the Donegal woman's struggle with mental health difficulties. READ MORE She started receiving treatment when she was 16, and felt better by the end of school. In college she was doing well, until she began to experience bouts of very low mood. 'It was tough because things were at a crisis point there. It was exhausting every day to get up. Sometimes I didn't feel like getting out of bed at all.' Rachel isn't the only young person who has felt that way. On Thursday, youth mental health charity Jigsaw published its 2024 annual report, which found the organisation delivered more than 62,000 clinical contacts last year. According to the report, four in 10 young people accessing its services presented with high levels of mental health distress. Jeff Moore, research director at the charity, said pre-Covid this figure would have been three in 10. Mr Moore said young people's mental health has been 'deteriorating for about two decades', but the pandemic 'accelerated it in a lot of ways'. 'This is not a temporary issue. It's an issue that needs a really long-term Government and policy response,' he said. The reasons behind this increase in severity are 'complex', Mr Moore added, though in the Irish context he said housing insecurity is a common issue raised among those accessing Jigsaw's services. 'Issues like uncertainty around the future, whether that's climate change, climate anxiety, that's a real thing that's driving young people's mental health. It's a collection of issues and it's the fact that these issues are never going away, they're very constant.' Edel Connolly (24) started struggling with mental health difficulties when she was 13 as she was transitioning to secondary school. She would feel sick every morning in school and put her head down in class. She didn't tell anyone in the beginning, until suddenly she became worried about her own safety. 'I was self-harming and I was thinking about suicide. So I told my mam,' she said. She went to the GP, started therapy and developed mechanisms to help herself. Though there were 'setbacks', she felt she was on the road to recovery. When she was late diagnosed with ADHD and autism aged 19 and 21 respectively, her teenage feelings made more sense to her. 'I spent my teenage years thinking there was something wrong with me but there were no words to explain why or how,' she added. That transition into secondary school was also a turning point for Kildare man Eoin McEvoy. He sought help for anxiety aged 12 but was told he was not severe enough to be admitted to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs). Eventually his condition deteriorated to such an extent he dropped out of school in transition year. He spent a 'short period of time' in and out of a psychiatric hospital, but now he is much more optimistic about his future. 'I attended a school for school-leavers who struggle with mental health, made my way through PLCs, and I slowly managed to get better with my anxiety. Now I'm going into my second year of psychology at UCD. I have a partner who's amazing for me. I'm happy.'
CBC
05-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
New youth mental health centre planned for Fort McMurray
A youth mental health facility planned for construction in Fort McMurray hopes to provide services that many families in the community are currently forced to travel hundreds of kilometres to access. Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo councillors unanimously approved zoning for a new youth mental health facility in Fort McMurray's Gateway district last week. It will be operated by CASA Mental Health, a non-profit organization headquartered in Edmonton. "I think it's a great program," said Wood Buffalo's mayor Sandy Bowman. Other council members said the facility is sorely needed. "I've had a first-hand experience of a very close and dear young guy that had this challenge," said Coun. Funky Banjoko, "And I can attest to the fact that the family was tired of travelling to Edmonton to attend to him." The centre is planned to open in the fall of 2027, and will provide mental health services for youth aged 12 to 18. The new facility will include a day program for structured outpatient care, as well as a live-in treatment option. Once completed, it will have about 20 beds. Tiffany Bennett, whose 10-year-old son has complex mental health needs, told CBC this will be the first facility in Fort McMurray that will offer all, or at least most, of the services her son requires in one place. "A lot of times you're being sent to Edmonton because there isn't enough support here and then you're stuck struggling on like a two-year waiting list, sometimes even longer, depending on what your child needs," she said. "And this kind of opens up that barrier for us to be able to have an intervention here locally." She said the facility should reduce the need to travel to Edmonton for services. Facility likely to be in high demand Bennett is concerned that the facility might not be able to handle the demand. "With the overall growing population and with the high demand here in Fort McMurray, it's great they're going to be building that, but they may need more," she said. "And then, hopefully, they're open to expanding it based on what the community needs." Paula Colvin, director at CASA Mental Health, said they are aware of the demand the new facility will be facing. "I have no doubt we will face that," she said. "We have definitely made a decision that we're going to make sure we deliver the quality that these kids need. The quantity, we will manage the best we can," she said. "We know the need is high. We know that we can open our doors and deliver quality care to that many kids," Colvin said. Colvin said they may able to open up more spots in the future. "As we grow, and we hope community will see the value, then we'll be able to continue to fundraise and be able to support further spots for kids."
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Cass review: how has report affected care for transgender young people?
At the heart of the controversy about how to meet the needs of young people questioning their gender has been the huge rise in referrals to the Tavistock – previously the only dedicated clinic in England and Wales treating children with gender dysphoria. The clinic was closed one month before the Cass review into youth gender identity services, commissioned by NHS England and led by the British paediatrician Hilary Cass, which found that children had been 'let down' by the NHS amid a 'toxic' public discourse. Her report recommended a significant shift in treatment away from medical intervention towards a more holistic approach to care, including therapy and treatment for coexisting mental ill health, neurodivergence or family issues, and to be provided by a network of regional hubs rather than concentrated in one location. Fourteen months later and the exponential rise in referrals for NHS care has halted, with figures showing a sharp reduction from up to 280 referrals a month at the Tavistock to between 20 and 30 a month this year, a 10th of the earlier rate. James Palmer, the medical director for specialised services at NHS England, who is responsible for implementing the recommendations of Cass, suggests a number of factors are behind the decrease. Young people can now only be referred for the youth gender service through mental health or paediatric specialists, rather than by a GP. Palmer also believes the reduction is partly because of the 'change in philosophy' brought in by Cass about hormone treatments. Her review concluded there was 'remarkably weak evidence' that puberty blockers (prescribed to give young people experiencing distress and dysphoria about their bodies time to consider their next move) and cross-sex hormones (which masculinise or feminise people's appearances) improve young people's wellbeing and there was concern they may harm health. Cass prompted a temporary ban on the use of puberty-blocking drugs, which was extended indefinitely by the health secretary, Wes Streeting, last December. Cross-sex hormones may be prescribed to 16- to 18-year-olds in rare cases but in practice none have been since the review. 'There's also an impact – completely immeasurable – of the change in stance in this country and around the world,' Palmer adds. The Cass review was clear, he argues, that even social transition is 'not a neutral act' and better information is needed about the outcomes for children who do so, as well as support for parents and schools. 'But there is also an impact from the global political environment which has become less accepting of trans people and gender-questioning young people.' Palmer, a neurosurgeon by background, says waiting times for the new hubs are 'still really significant' and that it will take up to three years to work through the 'substantial backlog' inherited from the Tavistock, and services are continuing to face heavy criticism from young people and their parents. According to NHS England the waiting list for the new hubs peaked in December 2024 at more than 6,400, and has been reduced to just over 6,000. There are now three regional centres open in London, Bristol and north-west England, with the capacity to see about 25 patients a month, and a fourth is expected to open in the east of England this year. Once all seven regional hubs have opened, Palmer says 'we will get to where we want, which is that individuals, as soon as that [gender] incongruence starts to be truly persistent, even at a young age, will be able to get access to an NHS service'. While opinion still differs on how best to meet the needs of this vulnerable group of young people, critics of what Palmer describes as a 'change in philosophy' argue that the fall in referrals to NHS services masks the true numbers seeking intervention, with many families turning to private providers and the hidden economy to access drugs to help them live as a different gender. Palmer accepts the long waits for help 'affect how individuals approach their care and, of course, some take desperate steps to go to unregulated providers and seek hormones'. A clinical trial of puberty blockers, which was recommended by Cass, is being set up by an independent research team at King's College London, which is taking it through ethical and regulatory approvals. An expert panel will report to Streeting in July after considering a similar ban on cross-sex hormones for 16- to 18-year-olds, with initial signals that further restriction is likely. The Guardian spoke to a range of parents about their concerns over their children's treatment since the Cass report was published. Some said they felt more hopeful since Cass's emphasis on evidence-based care, and were pleased to see underlying issues highlighted in her report – such as bullying, neurodiversity, emerging same-sex attraction and trauma – being addressed first in regular sessions with a psychologist. Others said this culture change had not reached adult services, where older teenagers were being treated, adding they were the same cohort subjected to the same societal factors that were reviewed by Cass. Some parents were particularly frustrated that other European countries had conducted similar reviews of the evidence base for hormone treatments but came to different conclusions that supported their use for young people. They also worried that staff at the new hubs did not appear to be very experienced in gender care, with what they felt was limited understanding of how time-critical decisions about hormone treatment can be. Pathways to gender-affirming hormones, for example, although technically still available were simply not discussed. One family reported that they were warned at a hub that accessing hormone treatment privately could trigger a safeguarding referral by their GP and even a police report. Another said it was unfair that NHS England had moved 200 young people already receiving puberty blocking or gender-affirming treatment at the Tavistock to a Nottingham clinic where their hormone treatment was continuing, while other youngsters were not offered that option. For 18-year-old Ben, who lives in the Midlands with his family and is about to start a degree at a Russell Group university, there is 'definitely value' in holistic support, as prioritised by Cass. But he says talking therapies lose their value if young people feel they are having to 'prove themselves' deserving of access to hormones. Ben joined the youth services waiting list at the age of 14, but was transferred to the adult NHS waiting list earlier this year after he turned 18, never having had an appointment. Instead his family accessed puberty blockers and then testosterone from an online clinic. 'I can understand that for someone who has not been in my position this is obviously a massive decision for a young person to make, and it is necessary to have safeguards in place, but to completely remove access to hormones is going to have a negative impact on many young people for the rest of their lives. 'Whilst using unregulated private providers has more risks than accessing healthcare through the NHS, risk is much greater where young trans people are left without any access to healthcare at all, as is the case for many who are unable to pay for private healthcare.' Some young people formerly treated at the new hubs have found their way to the private Gender Plus, a clinic that treats young people as well as adults, and is the only service in the UK able to prescribe cross-sex hormones to 16- to 18-year-olds, in line with NHS England guidance through its Care Quality Commission-registered hormone clinic. Its director, Dr Aidan Kelly, said: 'I'm hearing there's a huge drop-out rate [from the new hubs], which doesn't surprise me because the evidence base for group therapy helping young people with gender dysphoria is weaker than that for hormone interventions. They feel that the NHS has given up on them and so they are just waiting to age up into the adult service.' The adult service is under review by NHS England, in response to detailed concerns raised by Cass following her youth review, including 'out of control' waiting lists, inadequate consent processes, and limited explanation of the risks involved in treatment. In 2024, Gender Plus's first full year, it took 874 referrals, 343 of whom were under 18, and it has expanded to sites in London, Birmingham, Leeds and Dublin, with 20 staff, many of whom formerly worked at NHS gender services. Of those aged 16 to 18, 61% were prescribed gender-affirming hormones after completing an average six months of assessment. Gender Plus is facing a judicial review at the end of June, brought by the former NHS gender specialist Sue Evans, who also instigated proceedings against the Tavistock in 2019, challenging the CQC's decision to grant registration to the Gender Plus hormone clinic in January 2024, and the subsequent decision to award the clinic an outstanding rating in December 2024 after its first inspection. Kelly suggests NHS England is assuming by denying young people access to medical pathways, they 'will simply give up'. 'There's no evidence of that happening and in fact there is evidence that it does harm.' Last year, the Guardian reported on experts warning that growing numbers of under-18s were turning to the medicines hidden economy. Some of those young people are becoming politically active. In March, the activist group Trans Kids Deserve Better disrupted a Guardian event with Streeting, highlighting that he had not consulted with trans youth before making decisions about their treatment but had spoken to other groups that oppose gender-affirming care. NHS England says that the more cautious approach approved by Cass includes regular appointments with a clinician, and a suite of therapy options, one to one, in groups and with family, as well as treatment for coexisting mental health issues, including medication if necessary. In building the new services, efforts have been made to let clinicians get on with their day job away from the media spotlight. But Palmer says he worries that 'the polarised debate in the newspapers' does not recognise there are many young people 'who are really impacted by the dysphoria and distress that can follow gender incongruence and need access to the care of an NHS service'.
Arab News
29-06-2025
- Health
- Arab News
How news from the Middle East is shaping Gen Z's mental well-being
DUBAI: Gen Z — those born between the late 1990s and early 2010s — consumes more news than any other type of content, according to a new study unveiled by the UNICEF-led Global Coalition for Youth Mental Health — a finding that many may find surprising. What is less surprising, however, is the emotional toll that constant exposure to global headlines appears to be taking on young people. The study, based on a survey of more than 5,600 people aged 14 to 25 globally, found that 60 percent of Zoomers reported feeling overwhelmed by the news. Despite these pressures, they remain determined to contribute to shaping a better future. In a statement to Arab News, Dr. Zeinab Hijazi, UNICEF's global lead on mental health, said such anxieties are shaped by a combination of geopolitical conflict, climate and ecological crisis, and economic uncertainty. 'For many, especially young people, the weight of these overlapping crises is not abstract — it's deeply personal, showing up in their minds, their bodies, and their sense of hope for the future,' said Hijazi. The study, which was unveiled at the Social Innovation Summit in San Francisco, raises concerns that feelings of being overwhelmed and disempowered may be eroding young people's sense of agency. This is hindering their ability to help shape the future they envision for themselves and generations to come. This impact on mental health is compounded, the study states, by inadequate support and services available to young people. 'It can feel as though we are caught in a constant storm of challenges, with little control over the forces shaping our world,' said Hijazi. Given its serious repercussions, Hijazi emphasized that mental health should not be treated as a side effect of global disruption, but as a central pillar of collective efforts to empower youth in shaping a better future. While Gen Z tends to feel connected and engaged with world events, around 67 percent of the global cohort reported feeling overwhelmed after exposure to news or events in the world, more than news in their country (60 percent) or their community (40 percent). Escalating geopolitical tensions and instability in the Middle East, particularly since the onset of Israel's latest war on Gaza in 2023, have raised concerns among analysts about the long-term impact on youth and the potential for fomenting extremism in times of unrest and uncertainty. Psychologists and media analysts believe that exposure to such news through social media platforms also increases the emotional toll on young users. Dr. Shaima Al-Fardan, a UAE-based clinical psychologist, highlighted the impact of constant exposure to news and endless scrolling on youth development. 'It can isolate youth from real-life social interactions, which in turn hinders the development of essential social skills. It also consistently heightens negative emotions, reinforcing those emotional patterns over time.' According to Attest, a consumer research platform, social media platforms serve as the primary news source for Gen Z. About 43 percent said they rely on social media for daily news, with TikTok leading for 21 percent of users. While instant access to content across digital platforms can broaden young people's awareness of global events, Al-Fardan warned that it also exposes them to misinformation and propaganda. 'It is important to be taught to be critical about news they consume at this time due to their brain development, as they have still not been able to fully form the part of their brain that is responsible for rational decision-making in order to form solid opinions,' she said. However, she observed that while young people often respond with strong initial reactions, they may quickly become desensitized. 'Social media has created a culture of following trends, which makes engagement inconsistent,' she said. The short, fast-paced nature of social media content may intensify young people's negative emotional responses to world events. Elizabeth Matar, assistant professor and chair of Media and Mass Communication at the American University in the Emirates, told Arab News social media platforms have expanded information sources but not necessarily deepened users' understanding, especially on evolving issues. 'When users are following the news from a media outlet on social media, they only get a headline with an image or video clip and a caption, which does not give the full nuance from reading a full article,' said Matar. 'This is causing a problem because it just feels like headlines and just information coming in without understanding much of the context or forming an ability to piece it together.' She added that this 'flood of information,' compounded by inputs from non-traditional news sources such as citizen journalists, can lead to a general sense of uncertainty, deepened by the limited depth of understanding. 'The quality, in contrast to quantity, of engagement with the news must be monitored,' said Matar. 'Only then we can understand if deeper engagement with content would have the same negative effect.' Despite growing awareness and open conversations around mental health in the digital age, many young people continue to face stigma and limited access to support services — even as their familiarity with the topic increases. A UNICEF-led study found that 40 percent of respondents felt stigmatized when speaking openly about mental health in schools and workplaces, while only half said they knew where to access relevant support resources. Despite resource availability, the study findings showed that many young people still lacked clarity on where to turn for help and how to build effective coping skills. Al-Fardan said that access to mental health resources remains limited due to affordability and lack of insurance. She also observed a lack of understanding about what psychotherapy involves. 'There is a limited amount of culturally attuned, affordable, skilled therapists around as well,' she said. 'In addition, many people are either unaware or hesitant to share their views, particularly when it comes to processing political information during times of unrest.' Warning of the long-term impact of unguided online news consumption, Al-Fardan said: 'Without boundaries on excessive scrolling, negative thought patterns in the brain can be reinforced, influencing one's outlook on life and overall functioning. 'This can contribute to mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, increased social isolation, and a lack of essential skills needed to integrate into society.' Education and media literacy are key to addressing these challenges, along with building healthy habits, monitoring exposure, and setting boundaries around social media use. UNICEF's Hijazi stressed that ensuring mental health support for young people should be a responsibility shared by governments, schools, employers and the private sector. 'Understanding perception is the first step toward meaningful action,' she said. 'If we can listen more deeply — not just to the facts, but to the feelings — we can begin to design and scale solutions that are grounded in empathy and centered on human well-being.'
Al Arabiya
25-06-2025
- Health
- Al Arabiya
The emotional toll of climate change is broad-ranging, especially for young people
Anxiety, grief, anger, fear, helplessness. The emotional toll of climate change is broad-ranging, especially for young people. Many worry about what the future holds, and a daily grind of climate anxiety and distress can lead to sleeplessness, an inability to focus, and worse. Some young people wonder whether it's moral to bring children into the world. Many people grieve for the natural world. Activists, climate psychologists, and others in the fight against climate change have a range of ways to build resilience and help manage emotions. Some ideas: Get active in your community. Feeling isolated? Find ways to connect with like-minded people and help nature, said climate psychologist Laura Robinson in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 'There are many ways to get involved.' Work locally to convince more residents to give up grass lawns and increase biodiversity with native plants, for instance. Help establish new green spaces, join projects to protect water, develop wildlife corridors, or decrease pesticide use to save frogs, insects, and birds. Work to get the word out on turning down nighttime lighting to help birds and lightning bugs. 'I see people struggling with these emotions across the age range,' said Robinson. 'I have parents who are themselves really struggling with their own feelings and really worried about their children in the future.' Make a positivity sandwich. Climate news and the onslaught of disaster and mayhem in general has become heavy and overwhelming for many with the rise of social media and mobile phone use. Try scheduling breaks from notifications on your phone or stepping back from the news cycle in other ways. Consider the idea of a 'positivity sandwich,' where you begin with a good piece of news followed by a harder tidbit, then finish with a second feel-good story. Model behaviors for your kids. Phoebe Yu, 39, gave up a cushy job in health technology to work on an MBA with a focus on sustainability. She started a business selling sponges made from the luffa gourd. And she does it all while raising her 6-year-old son with her husband in Fremont, California. 'I am generally a very happy person, and I'm very optimistic. And I'm still that, but sometimes it becomes very difficult to manage. Like what will happen and thinking about the long term,' she said. 'At points I've regretted bringing a child into this world knowing how things could get much, much worse.' Part of managing her own emotions is trying to model sustainable behaviors for her son while educating him on the importance of helping the environment. The family drives an electric vehicle. They don't eat meat and have encouraged extended family to do the same. They recycle, compost, and limit travel by air. 'I try to explain things to my son so he can at least have some understanding of how the world and the ecosystem works as a whole,' Yu said. 'I do think kids are able to absorb that and turn that into some level of action.' Remember: We're all connected. Britnee Reid teaches middle school science for Gaston Virtual Academy, a K–12 virtual public school based in Gastonia, North Carolina. Reid participated in a pilot project for a free teacher toolkit on climate put together by the National Environmental Education Foundation and the Climate Mental Health Network, a collective of community advocates working on the emotional impacts of climate change. The kit is full of ways to help teachers support students' mental health and manage their own climate-related emotions. One of the exercises involves students documenting their interactions with the natural world in an environmental timeline. Laying it all out often stirs action, Reid said. 'They can be anxious, they can be angry, they can feel fearful, but they're like these go-getters of 'I'm going to make the change in this world.' There's kind of two truths at once where they feel scared, but they also feel like, 'you know, I can do something about this,'' she said. The timelines, Reid said, provided some good, rich conversations. Find the words to express your feelings. Psychotherapist Patricia Hasbach, just outside of Eugene, Oregon, has written several books on eco-psychology and eco-therapy and has taught graduate students on those topics. 'We incorporate nature into the healing process,' she said. 'And we address a person's relationship with the natural world. Certainly with climate change, eco-therapy has a huge role to play.' One of her most important missions is helping people find their words to talk about climate change in pursuit of resilience. 'There have been some studies done that show an increased number of young people reporting concern, like eighty-four percent of young people in the US reporting concern about climate change, but only like fifty-nine percent of them think that other people are as concerned as they are,' Hasbach said. That, she said, contributes to inaction and feelings of anxiety, depression, or isolation. You're not one. You're many. Climate scientist Kate Marvel, a physicist and author of the new book 'Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About our Changing Planet,' urges people to think differently about their place in preserving the environment. 'A lot of times the anxiety and the hopelessness comes from a feeling of powerlessness. And I don't think any of us is powerless,' she said. 'I think collectively we're incredibly powerful,' Marvel said. 'The atmosphere cares about what all of us together are doing, and I think you can have much more impact if you think of yourself as part of the collective.'
