More suicidal thoughts in adults, especially young, more emotional difficulties in children and adolescents: a new study documents this Wednesday, June 4, the degradation of post-life mental health, insisting on the weight of discrimination or social networks.
This “inventory” is based on the latest lessons in an investigation, Epicov, carried out in four episodes to follow the evolution of the COVVI-19 epidemic and its repercussions on living and health conditions.
Around 64,000 people from at least 15 years representative of the population living in France (excluding Guyana, Mayotte and residents in EHPAD or prisons) were interrogated between the spring of 2020 and the autumn of 2022 for this survey, developed by the statistical service of Social Ministries (DREES) and Inseserm, with France of Public Health and Insee.
Raising suicidal thoughts
The last part shows an increase in suicidal thoughts between autumn of 2020 and autumn 2022 (from 2.8%to 3.4%), much more pronounced among children under 25, and even more among young women (8.7%), summarizes drees.
For depressive syndromes, observation is mixed. On the one hand, a “slight decrease” of its frequency, from 10.6% to 9.6%, between 2021 and 2022, mainly linked to a decrease in light syndromes. On the other hand, a stagnation of the main syndromes, which affected 5.3% of the population in the drop of 2022.
Depending on age, the situation varies strongly. For 15-24-year-old children, the prevalence of depressive syndromes is much higher in 2022 than just before the pandemic, it had already progressed strongly between 2014 and 2019. On the contrary, it was ironed under the 2019 level during the 35 years or more, and even under 2014 for 65 years or more.
“Significant” increase in emotional difficulties in girls
As risk factors, all types of discrimination (age, sex, origin, weight, disability) are associated with the presence of depressive syndrome, as well as to define homosexual or bisexual, to expose themselves to screens for more than six hours per day, excluding professional reasons, to make social networks at least once per hour, leave the study.
In more general terms, financial difficulties, social isolation and chronic diseases are closely related to the prevalence of depressive syndrome.
Between 2021 and 2022, children and adolescents (from 5 to 17 years old), “more particularly girls”, experienced a “significant” increase in emotional difficulties, sadness or anxiety.
Regarding mental health care, general doctors are less consulted (-2 points in one year, 5%of adults), but more specialists, psychologists (+2 points to 6%) as psychiatrists (+1, 3%).
But the level of non -recourse to attention is “worrying”: approximately half of people with suicidal thoughts, more than 60% of people with a greater depressive or severe depressive syndrome.
Source: BFM TV
