Adolescent mental health

Important facts

• Globally, one in seven 10- to 19-year-olds suffers from a mental disorder, accounting for 15% of the global disease burden in this age group.
• Depression, anxiety and behavioral disorders are among the most common causes of illness and disability in young people.
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among those aged 15 to 29.
• The consequences of not addressing mental health issues in adolescents extend into adulthood, affecting both physical and mental health and limiting the ability to lead a fulfilling life as an adult.

introduction

One in six people is between 10 and 19 years old. Puberty is a unique and formative time. Physical, emotional and social changes, including exposure to poverty, abuse or violence, can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems. Protecting youth from adversity, promoting socio-emotional learning and psychological well-being, and ensuring access to mental health care are critical to their health and well-being throughout adolescence and adulthood.

Globally, it is estimated that one in seven (14%) of 10- to 19-year-olds suffer from mental illness (1)However, these remain largely unrecognized and untreated.

Young people with mental illness are particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, discrimination, stigma (which affects the willingness to seek help), educational difficulties, risky behavior, physical illness and human rights violations.

Determinants of mental health

Adolescence is a crucial time for developing social and emotional habits that are important for mental well-being. This includes establishing healthy sleep patterns; exercise regularly; developing coping, problem-solving and interpersonal skills; and learn to deal with emotions. A protective and supportive environment at home, at school and in the wider community is important.

Several factors influence mental health. The more risk factors youth are exposed to, the greater the potential impact on their mental health. Factors that may contribute to stress in adolescence include exposure to adversity, pressure to conform to peers, and the search for one’s identity. Media influence and gender norms can exacerbate the discrepancy between a young person’s lived reality and their perceptions or desires for the future. Other important factors include the quality of their home life and relationships with peers. Violence (particularly sexual violence and bullying), harsh parenting, and serious and socioeconomic problems are recognized mental health risks.

Some young people are at higher risk of mental illness due to their living circumstances, stigma, discrimination or exclusion, or lack of access to quality support and services. These include youth living in humanitarian and fragile environments; Adolescents with chronic illness, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or other neurological condition; pregnant young people, young parents or people in early or forced marriage; orphans; and young people from ethnic or sexual minorities or other discriminated against groups.

Emotional disorders

Emotional disorders are common among adolescents. Anxiety disorders (which may involve panic or excessive worry) are most common in this age group and are more common in older adolescents than younger ones. It is estimated that 4.4% of 10-14 year olds and 5.5% of 15-19 year olds suffer from an anxiety disorder (1). It is estimated that depression occurs in 1.4% of adolescents aged 10-14 and 3.5% of those aged 15-19 (1). Depression and anxiety share some of the same symptoms, including rapid and unexpected mood swings.

Anxiety and depressive disorders can severely impact school attendance and academic performance. Social withdrawal can increase isolation and loneliness. Depression can lead to suicide.

behavioral disorders

Behavioral disorders occur more frequently in younger adolescents than in older adolescents. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterized by difficulty paying attention and/or excessive activity and acting without regard for consequences, occurs in 2.9% of 10-14 year olds and 2.2% of 15-19 year olds (1). Conduct disorders (with symptoms of destructive or challenging behavior) occur in 3.5% of 10-14 year olds and 1.9% of 15-19 year olds (1). Behavioral disorders can impact youth’s education and increase the risk of criminal behavior.

eating disorders

Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa often occur in adolescence and young adulthood. Eating disorders involve abnormal eating behaviors and excessive preoccupation with food, and in most cases are accompanied by concerns about body weight and shape. Girls are affected more often than boys. Eating disorders can affect physical health and are often associated with depression, anxiety and substance use disorders. They are estimated to occur in 0.1% of 10–14 year olds and 0.4% of 15–19 year olds (1). They are associated with suicide. Anorexia nervosa can lead to premature death, often due to medical complications or suicide, and has a higher mortality rate than any other mental disorder.

psychosis

Disorders that include symptoms of psychosis most often appear in late adolescence or early adulthood. Symptoms may include hallucinations or delusions. These experiences can impact a young person’s ability to participate in daily life and education and often lead to stigmatization or human rights violations. Schizophrenia occurs in 0.1% of 15 to 19 year olds (1).

Suicide and self-harm

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among older adolescents and young adults (15-29 years). (2). Risk factors for suicide are diverse and include harmful alcohol use, childhood abuse, stigma to seeking help, barriers to accessing health care, and access to suicide methods. Digital media, like all other media, can play an important role in either strengthening or weakening suicide prevention efforts.

Risk-taking behavior

Many risky health behaviors, such as substance use or sexual risk-taking, begin in adolescence. Risk-taking behavior can be an unhelpful strategy for coping with emotional difficulties and can significantly impact an adolescent’s mental and physical well-being.

Young people are particularly vulnerable to developing harmful substance use patterns that can persist across the lifespan. In 2019, the prevalence of alcohol consumption among 15-19 year olds was high worldwide (22%), with very small gender differences and an increase in consumption in some regions (3).

Tobacco and cannabis use are additional concerns. Many adult smokers had their first cigarette before the age of 18. In 2022, the prevalence of cannabis use among youth was higher than among adults worldwide (5.5 percent versus 4.4 percent). (4).

Violence is a risk-taking behavior that can increase the likelihood of low education, injury, involvement in crime, or death. Interpersonal violence was one of the most common causes of death among older adolescents in 2021 (1).

Promotion and prevention

The aim of mental health promotion and prevention interventions is to achieve the following: Strengthen an individual’s ability to regulate emotions, improve alternatives to risk-taking behavior, build resilience to cope with difficult situations and adversities, and promote supportive social environments and social networks.

These programs require a multi-tiered approach with different delivery platforms – for example, digital media, health or social care settings, schools or the community – and diverse strategies to reach young people, particularly those most at risk.

Early detection and treatment

Addressing the needs of youth with mental illness is critical. Avoiding institutionalization and overmedicalization, prioritizing non-pharmacological approaches, and respecting children’s rights in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights instruments are crucial for adolescent mental health.

WHO response

WHO works on strategies, programs and tools to help governments respond to the health needs of adolescents.

For example, the Helping Adolescents Thrive (HAT) initiative is a joint initiative between WHO and UNICEF to strengthen adolescent mental health policies and programs. More specifically, the initiative’s efforts aim to promote mental health and prevent mental illness. They are also designed to help prevent self-harm and other risk behaviors such as harmful alcohol and drug use, which have a negative impact on young people’s mental and physical health.

The WHO has also developed a module on mental and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents as part of the mhGAP Intervention Guide 2.0. This guide provides evidence-based clinical protocols for the assessment and treatment of a range of mental health conditions in non-specialty care settings.

In addition, WHO is developing and testing scalable psychological interventions to treat emotional disorders in adolescents and guidelines for mental health services for adolescents.

The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has developed a mental health training package for educators to improve understanding of the importance of mental health in school settings and the implementation of strategies to promote, protect and restore the mental health of their students to guide. It contains training manuals and materials to help increase the number of schools that promote mental health.

(1) Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Global Health Data Exchange (GHDx)

(2) WHO Global Health Estimates 2000-2021

(3) Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment 2024

(4) World Drug Report. Geneva: UNODC; 2024(