WHO launches new child mental health program for Covid-19 recovery in Europe

GREECE – The Greek Ministry of Health and WHO/Europe have launched a new program to support and promote the quality of mental health care for children and adolescents across all 53 countries in the WHO European Region.

The program, which was launched at an official ceremony to mark the opening of the new WHO Athens Quality of Care Office, is the result of ongoing partnership and collaboration between WHO/Europe and the Greek government across the health system spectrum, including the critical areas of quality of care and patient safety.

Childhood and adolescence are critical stages of life for mental health because they are periods of rapid growth and development.

Unfortunately, the mental health of children and young people in the WHO European Region has been under significant strain in recent years, first as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now – for the millions affected by the conflict – as a result of the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis.

Children and teens worst hit by the pandemic

During the pandemic, school closures and lockdowns isolated children, separating them from their peers and making it difficult for them to socialize and grow.

WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Kluge, said: “Mental health and well-being is a fundamental human right that should be at the heart of our health systems and key to recovery from the Covid-19 emergency.

The pandemic has affected everyone in society, but the most vulnerable, including children and young people, have suffered the most.”

He added that the program will “help to mitigate and reduce the long-term damage this pandemic has done to mental health.”

In 2015 there were over 4,000 suicides among the 10 to 19-year-olds in the region, he noted.

Ensuring that children and adolescents have access to quality mental health services is a moral imperative and investment in the future, as around 50 percent of all mental health problems in adulthood have their onset during or before adolescence, he explained.

Building strong and high-quality mental health services for posterity

The new WHO program will set out a response to the mental health challenges arising from the negative impacts of the pandemic, while also keeping in mind the consequences of the current humanitarian crisis in Ukraine on the mental health of the millions of children and young people affected.

Armed conflicts, war, forced displacement, or family separation can have a significant impact on children’s and adolescents’ mental health.

According to WHO/Europe, depression is the leading cause of illness and disability among adolescents worldwide, and suicide is the fourth leading cause of death in 15-19-year-olds.

WHO/Europe will assist countries throughout the region in developing national strategies and frameworks, as well as sharing lessons learned, through the new program.

It will also aid in the translation of findings and lessons learned into practical tools and policies that support the mental health needs of children and young people.

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