Young people are increasingly seeking mental health support, but Luxembourg's system is struggling to keep up, says Fränz D'Onghia from the Luxembourg League of Mental Health.
Fränz D'Onghia, a psychotherapist for the Luxembourg League of Mental Health, appeared on RTL Radio to discuss the issue with a particular focus on the young.
According to the World Health Organisation, around 20% of young people aged 10-24 will have suffered from mental health issues in the past year. Requests for support have dramatically increased, highlighting the gaps in Luxembourg's mental healthcare system.
It is difficult to say whether young people are suffering more nowadays than in the past, said D'Onghia, as awareness has increased and it is therefore easier to identify when a person is struggling with their mental health. However, research has also shown that people have a tendency to "over-pathologise" their situation, adopting the behaviour of someone with a diagnosis based on one or two symptoms, which could in turn lead the symptoms to deteriorate.
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Differences between the sexes
Twice as many girls tend to be affected by depression and anxiety disorders, compared to boys. In total, around 4-5% of girls are said to suffer from depression, while anxiety can affect around 10%. These numbers are reduced by half among boys; however, boys are more likely to struggle with addiction issues, relying on alcohol, drugs and more.
D'Onghia said there were reasons for these gender-specific differences, highlighting the behaviour of young people online. Girls are more likely to post photos of themselves on social media, which can lead to feeling exposed. In addition, girls are more likely to have a better understanding of their health and are therefore more likely to open up about mental health problems, he added.
An uncertain and unregulated digital world
There are a number of factors which can be used to explain the increase in mental health issues. First is the insecure and largely unregulated online world. Next, today's young people live in a world with numerous stress factors, such as climate change, a difficult job market, generational inequality, housing issues and more. The pandemic also had a significant impact on mental health.
From a sociological point of view, D'Onghia said the generation aged 15-30 was greatly protected, amid the rise in "helicopter parenting", with parents who intervene in everything and drive their children to school. This protective bubble was not necessarily helpful for children, the psychotherapist said. Life is complicated and it is sometimes necessary to expose children to these complications to help them learn how to cope.
Suicide attempts "alarmingly high" among young people
Almost a quarter of secondary school pupils said they had suicidal thoughts in the last twelve months, a HBSC study revealed. D'Onghia called this a real issue. According to the latest data available from 2022, there were a total of 35 deaths among young people aged 15-29, 13 of which were suicides.
Alarmingly, suicide is the leading cause of death among young people, the psychotherapist said. There is still a long way to go over the next few years in terms of preventing mental illness. 90% of suicides are linked to mental illness, he added.
Prevention campaign: "Break the silence"
D'Onghia said it was important to focus on prevention through opening dialogue. This applies to everyone, from teachers and parents, to club coaches, to any adult working with or influencing young people. Only through opening up discussion and breaking the silence can we hope to tackle mental health, he concluded.
"We need to show young people it's OK to feel bad sometimes, it's OK to ask for help, and it's OK to visit professionals to help with mental health," he said.
For mental health support in Luxembourg, visit the following:
