Unicef has published a report on the mental health of children and adolescents worldwide, which reveals relevant data: one in seven adolescents diagnosed with a disease. In addition, suicide is the fifth cause of death in this age group, as 57 per cent of the deaths by suicide are boys and 43 per cent are girls.

In addition, Unicef and Gallup have questioned young people between the ages of 15 and 24 from 21 countries and, according to preliminary results, one in five feels depressed or with little interest in performing any type of activity.

Likewise, the State of Childhood in the world 2021 has made clear the incidence of the pandemic, directly affecting one in seven boys and girls, and at least 1.6 billion children have suffered some loss in education. However, the report notes that, before COVID-19, mental health was already a problem for children and adolescents, but that it has not provided sufficient financial resources to cope with it. The organization has denounced that, on average, governments spend only 2% of their budgets on the treatment of mental illness.

Impact of poverty and gender

There are a number of factors that have a direct impact on the mental health of children, such as poverty and gender. In the case of poverty, nearly 20 per cent of children under the age of 5 live in extreme poverty and Unicef notes that in the future they could enter an endless cycle: poverty can lead to mental illness and poverty. Similarly, in these impoverished countries, governments spend less than a dollar per person on mental health care, making the problem worse.

On the other hand, the document reflects the influence of gender stereotypes on Basque society. Among other issues, she pointed out that girls must face restrictive stereotypes related to work, education and the family, as well as to male violence. In the case of boys, the pressure can be higher both to suppress emotions and to use drugs. All of these factors affect the mental health of children and adolescents.