On September 22, on France 2, Michel Barnier spoke of his wish to make “mental health” the “great national cause” of the year 2025. The Prime Minister should be reinforced in his choice by taking note of a study carried out by Ipsos for AXA Prevention on the state of mental health of the French. According to this study unveiled this Tuesday, October 8, two days before World Mental Health Day, and carried out using a clinical test, the GHQ-12, mental health problems now affect a large proportion of the French population.
More than one in three people (36%) are in fact suspected of psychological suffering. Certain populations seem particularly fragile, such as young people: 54% of those under 35 and 56% of those under 25 are in a state of psychological suffering, according to this study. Other populations are also more affected, such as parents (43%) and women (39%).
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Problems with sleep, concentration…
In detail, 37% of the 2,000 French people interviewed for this study have recently suffered a little or much more than usual from sleep problems, 34% have been a little or much more unhappy and depressed than usual, 29% felt more than usual that they could not overcome their difficulties and 22% lost self-confidence a little or much more than usual. In addition, 26% of French people were a little or much less than usual able to concentrate on what they are doing, while 19% of those surveyed were a little or much less than usual able to do facing their problems.
This alarming observation is not new. According to this study, more than a third of French people (34%) think they have probably suffered from mental disorders in the past, and many also say they have already engaged in extreme behavior because they were feeling bad, including self-harm. Among those under 25, their prevalence is very high: one in three young people has already engaged in self-persecuting behavior.
The impact of the health crisis
The health crisis caused by Covid-19 has left deep traces and continues to have major impacts on mental health. Nearly two in five French people (38%) say they are still experiencing psychological impacts due to the pandemic, 42% say they have become more sedentary, 33% say they are more anxious, 29% say they are more depressed, 28% that they have sleep problems and 13% that they consume more addictive substances.
The causes of stress and anxiety among the French are multifactorial, notes this study. These include loneliness, fear of insecurity and fear of being downgraded. Thus, more than one in four French people report experiencing episodes of loneliness and having almost no one to talk to. Likewise, 39% of French people surveyed say they feel a real worry about being downgraded, while nearly one in three people (32%) say they are anxious on a weekly basis by the fear of not getting by financially.
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Added to this fear of downgrading is a fear of being overtaken by science and technology, perceived as moving too fast, and a source of stress for almost a quarter of French people (23%). National and international news and eco-anxiety are also a source of anxiety that is both significant and weekly for nearly two in five French people, or even daily for one in four.
A subject still taboo
Mental health problems today remain “an invisible enemy” for many French people, notes AXA Prévention: when we talk to them about their mental health, 91% of French people believe that things are “very good” (22%) , “good” (43%) or “fairly well” (26%). More seriously, among people with suspected psychological suffering, 73% consider themselves “fine” or “fairly well”.
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If mental health problems are underestimated by many French people today, it is firstly because mental illness is still the subject of very negative representations and remains a taboo, believes AXA Prévention. Nearly three in five French people do not know that it is wrong to think that “when you think you have a mental health problem, it is better not to say it so as not to be sidelined” (60%) or that “when you suffer from mental health problems, you should avoid talking about it at work, it’s useless and it’s often frowned upon” (62%).
Furthermore, while more than three out of four French people say they know the right behaviors to adopt in their daily lives to avoid physical health problems, they are slightly fewer when it comes to mental health. In both cases, barely more than one in ten know “very well” the actions to adopt. The French find it difficult to apply behaviors in their daily lives that allow them to preserve their mental health, such as limiting the time spent in front of screens, increasing social interactions or engaging in physical activity.
