A large majority of young people suffer from mental complaints such as stress, uncertainty and performance pressure. This sometimes has major consequences: 33 percent say that they have withdrawn from school or work in the past 2 years because of these complaints.
This is evident from research by 3Vraagt, part of the EenVandaag Opinion Panel, among more than 1,600 young people aged 16 to 34. Of the people who unsubscribed, half did so occasionally, the other half did so regularly or for a longer period.
‘More understanding of stomach ache’
What is striking is that many young people say that they have lied about the reason for their dropout. “You gain more understanding for a headache, stomach ache or nausea than for the fact that I feel so mentally empty and exhausted that I am unable to make food for myself,” explains one participant.
Another: “People are always asked why you can’t work. If you say it’s something mental, they still want you to come. That causes extra stress, so I just say that I don’t feel well. Mental Being sick is little respected.”
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Talking about psychological complaints
Do you need to talk to someone about your psychological problems or problems of a loved one? Then you can always contact the counselors at MIND Korlatie. For example, you can anonymously text or chat with a professional who can give you advice.
Uncertainty, stress or sleep problems
The vast majority of young people (85 percent) suffer from mental complaints. This often concerns uncertainty (56 percent) or stress (54 percent), but also issues such as feelings of depression (40 percent) or sleeping problems (36 percent).
Compared to the past 2 years, these figures have fallen and are back to pre-coronavirus levels.
What mental complaints do young people suffer from?
Performance pressure
The number of young people experiencing performance pressure has increased. Last year that was 71 percent, this year 76 percent say they are bothered by it. That pressure is mainly caused by ‘society’, by social media and by schools, they say.
“You have to be good at everything, have friends, do fun things. Do extracurricular activities and have a part-time job,” says a young panel member. “How many hours are there in a day? In a week? And then through social media you are also confronted with the lives of others, which always seem more fun and better. It’s really too much.”
Taboo on mental problems
More than half of young people (54 percent) say that it is still taboo to talk about psychological complaints. That figure has been the same for years, despite many campaigns to break that taboo.
“I always try to be open about it, but I am still afraid that it will have consequences for my career, for example,” says a participant. “I fear that people will see me as incompetent or unreliable if I talk about my mental complaints.”
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About this research
The survey was conducted in collaboration with NPO3, 3FM HUMAN and the MIND foundation from September 18 to 27, 2023. 28,277 people participated in the survey, including 1,627 young people between the ages of 16 and 35 and 3,070 parents of children between the ages of 12 and 25. year. After weighting, the research is representative of 6 variables, namely: age, gender, education, marital status, distribution across the country and political preference measured towards the 2021 House of Representatives elections.
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2023-10-02 04:00:01
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