1 in 4 teens distressed

Early intervention vital in mental health crisis facing our youth

SLEEP-STARVED and anxious teenagers are suffering the highest rates of mental illness on record, as the pandemic pushes one in four adolescents into “psychological distress”.

More investment in early intervention and prevention was needed to support young Tasmanians, according to Mission Australia, who, with the Black Dog Institute, conducted Australia’s biggest survey of teenage mental health.

Data from Mission Australia shows the number of Tasmanian youths between the ages of 15 and 19 experiencing psychological distress has increased by 9.1 per cent since 2012.

Mission Australia regional leader for Tasmania Jurek Stopczynski said some groups of young people were disproportionately affected.

“One of the key areas is the disproportion between young females and young males,” he said.

“We’re also seeing gaps in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”

Mr Stopczynski said there were a number of reasons why young Tasmanians might be experiencing psychological distress.

The 2020 Youth Survey found close to a third of the young Tasmanians surveyed were only sleeping six hours or less a night. And 7.8 per cent of those surveyed said they felt they had no control over their lives.

Meanwhile, 44 per cent of young Tasmanians with psychological distress surveyed said they were treated unfairly when it came to gender, sexuality or race.

Mr Stopczynski said the pandemic exacerbated a lot of issues by leaving young people cut off from certain support.

“In terms of Tasmanian data, the top three issues for Tasmanian young people are coping with stress, mental health and body image,” Mr Stopczynski said.

“26.7 per cent are concerned about suicide.”

He said it was also harder for young people to get the support they needed.

“A lot more young people are talking about this and it’s become a more spoken about issue. Despite that, the figures keep increasing,” Mr Stopczynski said.

“More and more people are going to their friends and the internet instead of seeking support through their GP.”

Mr Stopczynski said more support was needed to support young people, including in schools.

“The first step would be screening in schools, for identifying when young people are demonstrating signs of psychological distress,” he said.

“We need social workers in schools and to be equipping teachers better.

“The whole issue doesn’t lie with schools so we need to make sure the broader network in Tasmania is equipped to deal with the contemporary issues Tasmanians are facing.”