The impact of the pandemic on young people's mental health

On World Mental Health Day, October 10, the European Commission released a report proving that more than 40% of young Europeans had difficulties coping with confinement during the pandemic of COVID-19

The research, conducted by Youth Wiki, looks at how European countries have addressed the challenges posed by the pandemic reality to the emotional well-being of youth. According to a press release, the study is part of the European body's efforts to improve mental health and reduce stigma about the issue.

One of the most common measures taken by European leaders, the report discloses, was to strengthen psychological support in schools, both by increasing the number of psychologists and counselors available to students, and by training school personnel to recognize and deal with signs of mental disorders.

The European Commission considers that the pandemic of COVID-19 had an unprecedented impact on young people's emotions and further reveals that those who already had emotional and mental problems had their situation worsened due to the "sense of isolation and restrictions on mobility caused by these measures."

"After a pandemic and with a war on European soil, this report on the mental health of young people comes at the right time. These efforts must continue to enable young people to thrive, now and in the years to come," the Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, says in a statement.

In the case of Portugal, the statement highlights a recent research conducted in over 150 schools from north to south of the country by the Nursing School of Coimbra, which concluded that 42% of youth have symptoms of depression. In this sense, are highlighted initiatives promoted by the Portuguese Institute of Sports and Youth (IPDJ), as the "open days" of the program Cuida-te + and the project Connect Yourself, which aims to empower young people for their autonomy - activities included in the current European Year of Youth, designated in recognition of the sacrifices that young people have made during the pandemic of COVID-19.

The study "The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of young people" is available in full here.