Focus on mental health
At some point in life, many people suffer a mental disturbance. While most people get over it, for others it doesn't go away easily.
Oct 10 was World Mental Health Day. This year, the theme was "Young People and Mental Health in a Changing World".
The World Health Organization says that about 20 percent of children and teenagers worldwide suffer from mental illness. It's thought that the number of children and teenagers with mental illness around the world will increase by half by 2020. It will become one of the main causes of diseases, disabilities and even death.
In China, the picture isn't bright, either. About 30 million Chinese children and teenagers under the age of 17, or 10 percent of children and teenagers in China, have a mental health challenge, reported China Daily.
The reason for mental problems among young people may be the increasing pressure in life.
The world is changing fast. Study and relationships have always caused stress, but today the stress is much higher than before, the WHO said.
The Young Foundation, a UK-based non-profit think tank, says that young people today have huge stresses at school. For instance, they experience bullying and body image issues. In a 2017 report, the foundation noted that the internet was a special source of stress. Online, young people often see "messages about perfection" and this causes the young "great uncertainty about their adult futures", says the foundation.
Also, according to China Daily, Chinese people don't seek help with their mental problems. They fear that others will think less of them if they admit that they are in trouble. Elaine Peng, a US mental health educator, makes a similar point. She thinks that many Chinese people are ashamed of their mental problems. Peng told Xinhua that mental illness "is taboo in many Chinese families".
In the UK, over three-quarters of young people believe their mental health problems have a social stigma. YouGov, a UK-based data company, reported in 2017 that a quarter of young UK people wouldn't ask for help if they developed a mental problem.
Young people who don't seek help for their condition may be creating problems for themselves in the future. Jagannath Lamichhane, a mental health expert in Nepal, warned that, "If we hide our mental health, it may remain a problem forever. "
"My message for young people is, if you feel something is wrong within you—seek help," he told NPR.
