The mental health of 11- to 24-year-olds remains poor in 2023

Analysis of surveillance data (hospital emergency departments in the OSCOUR® network and SOS Médecins associations) and survey data (Public Health France Barometer, ESCAPAD Survey on Health and Substance Use during the Day of Call-up and Defense Preparation) shows that the mental health of the French population remains poor in 2023, a trend that has persisted since September 2020. This decline is particularly pronounced among adolescents (ages 11–17) and young adults (ages 18–24):

• Use of emergency care for mood disorders, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal acts rose sharply in 2021 and then in 2022, and has remained at a high level since then. Among young people aged 18–24, the increase even continued markedly in 2023.

• Furthermore, 20.8% of 18- to 24-year-olds were affected by depression in 2021, compared to 11.7% in 20¹7¹.

• Finally, among 17-year-olds, 9.5% experienced severe anxiety and depression symptoms in 2022, compared to 4.5% in 2017, and 18% had suicidal thoughts during the year, compared to 11% in 2017².

In September 2023, visits to emergency rooms for suicidal acts and thoughts, mood disorders (particularly depressive episodes), and anxiety disorders, as well as SOS Médecins medical interventions for anxiety, increased among children under 18 and particularly among 11- to 17-year-olds, as is typically the case during the back-to-school period. In these age groups, the observed levels remained high but comparable to those of 2021 and 2022, with the exception of visits for suicidal ideation among 11- to 17-year-olds (levels higher than in previous years).

More specifically among 18- to 24-year-olds, these indicators continued to rise in 2023. The increase recorded among children at the start of the school year was also observed among young adults, but the number of emergency room visits for suicidal ideation, as well as SOS Médecins medical interventions for anxiety, were significantly higher than in previous years, as were visits for suicidal acts and mood disorders and SOS Médecins interventions for depressive states to a lesser extent.

• For more information: Mental Health. Monthly Update, October 2, 2023.

More than a third of 18- to 24-year-olds feel they are not taking care of their mental health

Launched in 2020 and conducted regularly, the Coviprev⁴ survey waves track changes in the population’s mental health as well as the behaviors adopted to maintain it. The results of waves 34 and 35 (May 2022, September 2022) regarding perceptions of mental health and mental disorders show that, overall, more than 7 in 10 people report taking care of their mental health.

However, on average, young people aged 18–24 are less concerned about their mental health or well-being (as well as their overall health) than their older peers. Fewer of them believe they can influence their mental health, they are less likely to discuss it with their doctor, and they are less likely to believe in the existence of effective treatments for anxiety or depression. In 2022, 35% of 18- to 24-year-olds felt they were not taking care of their mental health or well-being. Among these young people, 32% said they did not know how to do so, 29% indicated they did not have the time, and 25% did not feel capable of doing so.

Among 18- to 24-year-olds, the main barriers to seeing a “therapist” are the cost of the session, the difficulty in opening up, or the fear of what they might discover about themselves, and the fear that those around them will find out.

In general, young people are slightly less likely than their elders to recognize the positive impact of various daily activities (social life, physical activity, leisure, etc.) or health behaviors (sleep, diet) on mental health.

Videos shared on social media to encourage young people to take care of their mental health

After encouraging young people experiencing distress to talk about it through the “#JenParleà” campaign launched in 2021 and relaunched in 2022, Santé publique France is now offering advice on how to take positive steps for their mental health. Through short, educational, and fun videos, five behaviors that promote mental health are explained:

• Engage in physical activity;

• Getting enough sleep and maintaining a regular sleep schedule;

• Making time for leisure activities and/or a hobby;

• Helping others;

• Practicing gratitude.

At the end of each video, viewers are reminded that if they are feeling unwell, they should talk to someone they trust or a counselor from the Fil Santé Jeunes program.

The initiative, called “Le Fil Good,” launches today and will be rolled out gradually through the end of the year. The campaign’s five videos—the first of which is specifically aimed at 11- to 17-year-olds—were created in collaboration with Explore, an “edutainment” platform that combines education and entertainment. They will be released exclusively on social media: TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.