This article will discuss topics like depression, anxiety and suicide. Please stop reading if any of these themes may be potentially triggering to you.
Last week, the death of Amélie Battle Bastos, a 16-year-old girl who had been missing in Porto and whose body was found on January 18, left Portugal desolate and made rethink the importance of mental health, especially in times of a pandemic.
What happenned to Amélie?
On Monday, January 17, Amélie disappeared and her mother launched an appeal on social media to help find her daughter, revealing that there was a high risk of suicide, seeing as Amélie suffered from depression and had taken with her, all medication that she was taking. On the following day, Tuesday, the 18th, Amélie’s body was found at the Praia dos Ingleses, in Porto.
The pandemic’s impact on the mental health of the youth
In fact, the pandemic has been aggravating the situation by causing an environment of instability, isolation, fear and especially for many the loss of their loved ones. The Health at a Glance Europe 2020 report, showed that the pandemic led to growing burden on the mental well-being of citizens, with evidence of higher rates of stress, anxiety and depression, especially for teenagers. According to UNICEF, nearly 46,000 teenagers die from suicide annually, which is not only shocking but is also one of the top five causes of death for their age group. Moreover, according to another report by UNICEF, ‘The State of the World’s Children’, where a survey of children and adults in 21 countries was conducted, teenagers aged 15 to 24 admit feeling depressed.
Finding ourselves in the midst of the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on the mental health andd well-being of children and the youth remains a crucial topic, which cannot be ignored. Diagnosed mental disorders, such anxiety and depression can significantly have a negative impact on the lives of children and the youth at all levels, may it be in their health status, social life, ability to learn and ability to express themselves.
Taking action
Many organisations and governments, such as the United Nations and the European Commission, have already taken action in order to raise awareness to this issue but also to help everyone that has a mental illness. Depending on where you live, there are hotlines available in case you feel the need to talk to someone about your feelings, your fears and thoughts. Please note that these are usually anonymous. You can find them easily online and even on social media!
However, we should not leave all the work for the organisations, institutions and governemnts, as conscious individuals, it is important that we realize that a mental illness is surely a painful experience, making the everyday life for people that suffer from a constant battle. Therefore, we can do simple things such as:
Raising awareness to the issue by making use of social media
Educating ourselves about the subject
Showing understanding and compassion towards people you know that suffer from a mental illness as well as showing them the good things in life and that there is hope.
Always remember Maya Angelou’s words ‘You can control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them, because you are strong!’
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