New Delhi: A survey of nearly 50,000 people across 92 countries found that global mental health is “languishing”, especially among young people, even in wealthier countries.
Mental health scores worldwide had been “dragged down” by the responses of young adults aged 18 to 25 who reported a lack of emotional stability, resilience, and other fundamental aspects of “well being”. The study found that only 14.7 per cent of this population showed no signs of illness, while 28.6 per cent reported moderate to severe indicators of depression and anxiety.
The findings were published in Springer Nature on 30 October by researchers at the Department of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University.
“These findings are more than just a sign to policymakers that solutions are necessary to improve mental health among young people or those struggling to make ends meet. In fact, they are a flashing red light that entire populations are already struggling and feel their resilience is diminished here and now, not only a concern for an uncertain future,” lead author Kai Ruggeri, professor at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, said in a statement.
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Concerning trends
The survey, conducted mainly online, asked participants to answer 10 questions about their mental health. These were crafted to assess how competent they felt, their optimism, self-esteem, and other such factors. Researchers also collected demographic data about the participants to group them based on their age, sex, income, employment, and more.
According to the study, mental health is not the “U-shaped curve” it was assumed to be, with younger and older people being happier than middle-aged adults. In addition, even people in countries known for their “good quality of life”, reported concerning trends. Although Scandinavian countries report high “life-satisfaction” scores in many global studies, in this one the scores were lower.
Only about 6.5 per cent of participants were considered to be “flourishing” according to the study’s metrics. While 38 per cent of people said they felt supported by close relations, many reported low energy and trouble bouncing back from setbacks.
“Leaders…have to make specific commitments to significant actions: ensure livelihoods in the face of AI-driven job losses, address factors driving burnout in young and working-age populations, and take steps that will generate confidence toward future opportunities—and all of this needs to be underpinned with improving access to care for mental illness. Failure to do so is not just a threat for the future, but for here and now,” said Ruggeri.