Europe is currently facing a significant mental health crisis among its youth, with 1 in 7 children and adolescents (aged 0–19) living with a mental health condition. The prevalence of these issues, particularly anxiety and depression, surged by approximately 25% following the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 9 million adolescents (aged 10–19) in Europe live with poor mental health. Females are disproportionately affected, with 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 living with a condition.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people aged 15–29 in the WHO European Region. Nearly half (49%) of young people in the EU report not having access to the mental health support they need. And young people in the Balearics have poorer mental health than those in the rest of Spain and suffer more from depression, anxiety and psychological distress, among other issues, due to the rising cost of housing, job insecurity and tourist pressure on the housing emergency.
This is according to the study ‘When living suffocates: structural factors and youth mental health in the Balearic Islands. Housing and precariousness as determinants of psychological distress’, published in the Youth Yearbook, which was presented on Monday. The Yearbook is promoted by the Balearic Youth Institute, in collaboration with the island councils, coordinated by the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) and supported by the Guillem Cifre de Colonya Foundation.
The report on the mental health of young people in the islands, produced by the Permanent Commission of the Balearic Islands Youth Council, states that youth mental health cannot be addressed solely from a clinical perspective and calls for comprehensive public policies that expand healthcare, but also guarantee affordable housing, decent employment, gender equality and opportunities for participation.
Drawing on recent data from various studies, the article points out that the perception of the current situation of young people in the Balearics is largely negative. Only 0.5% of those surveyed consider the situation of young people to be very good and 3.5% rate it as good. In contrast, more than half (54.3%) define it as average, while 18.9% describe it as bad and 17% as very bad. Thus, more than a third of the young population perceives that their generation as a whole is going through a critical moment.
When asked whether they believe they will live better, the same or worse than their parents or guardians, only 34% of young people are confident that their situation will improve, while the rest believe they will live the same, worse, or do not know what to believe. According to the study, these perceptions are rooted in specific socio-economic realities on the islands, the most relevant of which include property speculation and its impact on the rising cost of housing and the resulting financial strain, which severely limits the possibilities for emancipation and autonomy and leads to frustration, a feeling of being stuck in life and a loss of expectations for the future.
Added to these factors is the structural weight of job insecurity linked to dependence on the tourism sector and the temporary nature of contracts. ‘When difficulties in accessing decent housing are combined with a lack of stable income, young people in the Balearic Islands are trapped in a cycle of structural vulnerability that hinders both autonomy and the construction of secure life projects,’ the report notes.
The data on chronic anxiety is particularly worrying, with 13.3% of young people in the Balearic Islands reporting that they suffer from it, more than double the national average of 6.2%. As for depression, it is higher in the Balearics than in the rest of Spain among the population aged 15 to 29 (5% compared to 7.3%) and among those over 30 (12.4% compared to 15.3%).