Teen Suicide Prevention Week: More should be done to address mental health issues affecting youth

17 February 2022

During the month of February, the world observes Teen Suicide Prevention Week. For seven days the focus will be on adolescent and youth physical and mental health challenges, as well as the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic increased mental health concerns among this demographic.

According to reports, since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the mental health of young people has deteriorated considerably with a rise adolescent depression, anxiety, and self-harm.

The intervening question we must ask ourselves now, more than ever, is how we can effectively support young people with mental health challenges, particularly during Covid-19, when mental health services created for young people, particularly in schools, universities, and workplaces, were disrupted for several months.

The struggle with mental health is one of the many contributing factors to school drop-out rates among young people. Those who dropout are more susceptible to depression and low self-esteem, as well as other mental health challenges. More should be done to address these growing mental health issues, particularly at the school level.

The DA calls on the Departments of Health and Basic Education to increase efforts in ensuring that our children are prepared with the skills to adapt and manage as the pandemic continues to cast a shadow over their lives and mental health. For instance, the suicide prevention Gatekeeper training, in which a group of people are taught to recognise individuals who are exhibiting signs of being suicide risk, is one of the measures that can help prevent suicide among adolescents. Other measures include:

The inclusion of mental health in the curriculum;

Mental health awareness campaigns;

Provision of school counsellors;

Support from teachers; and among others,

Supporting students to remain in school.

We must retain access to mental health services to address the emerging mental health catastrophe among young people. To do this, all stakeholders must collaborate, including government agencies, schools, and corporations.

Issued by Haseena Ismail, DA Member on the Portfolio Committee of Health, 17 February 2022