Mental health and well-being of children and young adults
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 13 October 2023 (24th sitting) (see Doc. 15829, report of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and
Sustainable Development, rapporteur: Mr Simon Moutquin). Text adopted by the Assembly on
13 October 2023 (24th sitting).See also Recommendation 2263 (2023).
1. The enjoyment of the right to health,
as recognised by numerous international and regional instruments, such
as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
and the European Social Charter (ETS No. 35), is fundamental for
the well-being of every human being. This right also encompasses,
as an essential component, the right to mental health: a state of
mental well-being which allows the individual to realise their potential,
cope with the normal stresses of life and work, and participate
in their community.
2. Children and young adults today face a world characterised
by multiple crises and much uncertainty. The Covid-19 pandemic had
a devastating effect on their mental health and well-being. However,
challenges to their mental health and well-being were already present
before the pandemic. Today’s young generation has, in addition,
lived through the global financial crisis and its repercussions
(including misguided austerity measures), a cost-of-living crisis,
uncertainties in the job market (inter
alia linked to advances in machine learning and artificial
intelligence) and a war in Europe. Moreover, global transformations
such as the ever-intensifying climate crisis, the ageing of populations,
digitalisation and rising inequalities have created significant
uncertainties about the future young people and unborn generations
can expect.
3. The imposition of restrictions related to Covid-19 adversely
influenced the mental health of many individuals. The main victims,
however, are reported to have been children, adolescents and young
adults, who were disproportionately affected by the disruption in
education, social isolation, economic instability and general uncertainty
about the future. Their well-being and life satisfaction steeply
declined during this period, thus putting them at a higher risk
of developing mental health problems. Within this group, children
and young people from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds,
persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
queer and intersex) people, minorities, refugees and undocumented
migrants undoubtedly suffered the most. The surge in mental health
problems which occurred during the pandemic uncovered long-standing
deficiencies in the way that mental health systems are organised,
managed and funded at national levels.
4. Against this background, the Parliamentary Assembly believes
that States should seize this opportunity to advance with regard
to improving mental health and recalls that the right to mental
health includes access for all to timely and appropriate mental
healthcare and treatment. A key step in this regard is to integrate
mental health into national health systems, especially primary and
community-based healthcare services. The healthcare provided must
be holistic and focus on treating the person as a whole, including
addressing mental health, as well as social, economic and environmental
factors that can impact a person’s overall well-being, rather than
just their physical symptoms. It is critical to raise public awareness
of issues surrounding mental health from a young age, also in order
to “de-dramatise” problems related to this topic. Coercion in mental health
must be phased out.
5. The Assembly welcomes the shift to a human rights-based approach
to mental health and the recognition that there is “no health without
mental health”. It applauds recent efforts by the World Health Organization,
the United Nations and other influential global actors in recognising
mental health as an integral component of health and an imperative
for human rights development. Good mental health is a cornerstone
for the achievement of many goals in the United Nations 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development. Moreover, the Assembly underlines the
critical importance of reducing stigma and shame associated with
mental health problems.
6. The Assembly recalls that human rights do not exist in a vacuum.
In this context, States’ obligations with respect to mental health
include both immediate obligations and requirements to undertake
deliberate, concrete and targeted actions to progressively realise
other related obligations. The Assembly joins the United Nations
Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of
the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, in
urging States to use appropriate indicators and benchmarks to monitor
progress on mental health, bearing in mind that the indicators should
be disaggregated by factors including sexual orientation, gender
identity, age, race, ethnicity, disability and socio-economic status.
7. In light of these considerations, the Assembly recommends
that the Council of Europe member States:
7.1 build strong health systems at national level and mainstream
mental health across all policies by:
7.1.1 allocating
the necessary funding to establish a well-functioning, human rights-compliant mental
health system and ensure the appropriate training of mental health
professionals;
7.1.2 decentralising healthcare services, so that people get
timely mental healthcare that meets their individual needs regardless
of where they live;
7.1.3 implementing universal health coverage, thus removing
financial barriers to mental healthcare, ensuring that everybody
has access to these services, irrespective of their socio-economic
status, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender identity or
legal status;
7.1.4 integrating mental health into primary and community-based
healthcare services and treating mental health with the same attention
and seriousness as physical health;
7.1.5 simplifying administrative procedures and bureaucratic
processes to make them more user-friendly and provide better information
to users and their carers on their rights;
7.1.6 offering holistic, multisectoral and low-threshold mental
healthcare services, such as drop-in centres, community-based programmes,
peer support, and phone and chat services;
7.1.7 implementing the necessary educational reforms and campaigns
in order to end the stigma and misinformation associated with mental
health issues, in collaboration with trusted persons and organisations
in communities where this is the case;
7.1.8 providing appropriate mental health first-aid training
in hospitals, schools and universities, workplaces, prisons and
detention centres, and within law enforcement;
7.1.9 designing targeted and inclusive health services that
meet the needs of underserved communities, in particular refugees
and migrants, persons with disabilities and LGBTQI+ youth;
7.1.10 providing appropriate and necessary information, training,
support and relief to families of young people struggling with mental
health problems, including siblings, parents and other carers;
7.1.11 providing educational resources related to mental health
to children, adolescents and young adults, as well as to their parents
or other carers, in order to ensure the timely detection of mental
health problems and provide information on how to maintain good
mental health;
7.1.12 quickly responding to crises and emergency situations,
including, but not limited to, wars, forced displacements and natural
disasters, and developing national strategies on how best to support
the mental health and well-being of children and young adults in
such circumstances;
7.1.13 performing vulnerability screenings of refugees and asylum
seekers and following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) Handbook for Interpreters in
Asylum Procedures; children should never be made to interpret
the traumata of their parents;
7.2 take action to address other concerns that have an impact
on the mental health and well-being of children and young adults
by:
7.2.1 ensuring equitable access to quality education
for children and young adults, and to meaningful work for young
people;
7.2.2 reducing socio-economic inequalities and making the fight
against extreme child poverty a priority;
7.2.3 empowering young people and including them in decision-making
processes, taking their concerns seriously, including on issues
such as the environment and racial discrimination, for which young
people are the stakeholders for the future;
7.2.4 taking measures to tackle young people’s financial and
employment insecurity;
7.2.5 encouraging employers to ensure an appropriate work–life
balance, leaving employees, including young people, with enough
flexibility and time to rest and pursue other interests;
7.2.6 taking measures to protect children and young people from
being exposed to inappropriate and harmful content on social media;
7.3 take the necessary precautions to protect the mental health
of children, adolescents and young adults in the event of a public
health emergency or confinement period by:
7.3.1 keeping
educational facilities open and functional for as long as this is
possible, while taking into account the importance of protecting
the population;
7.3.2 facilitating equitable access to necessary equipment and
materials for at-home learning, in the event that the continuous
operation of educational facilities is no longer feasible;
7.3.3 ensuring tailored follow-up and support to young people
with a history of mental health needs;
7.3.4 ensuring that all measures taken to tackle the public
health emergency are transparent, proportionate and in line with
the best interests of the child;
7.3.5 consulting children and young adults with regard to any
decision that may affect their rights, mental health and well-being;
7.3.6 disseminating information specifically targeted to a younger
audience, as seen in the good practice example of Norway, where
children’s press conferences were held during the Covid-19 pandemic,
in which they were given the opportunity to submit questions to
the relevant authorities.
8. The Assembly believes that parliaments have a responsibility
to ensure that children’s and young people’s voices are listened
to and incorporated into legislative processes, in order to promote
a more inclusive and representative democracy. By creating spaces
for dialogue and collaboration in parliaments, we, as parliamentarians,
can foster an environment where children and young people feel valued
and understood, and in which they can effect change. The Assembly
therefore recommends that parliaments within the Council of Europe
member States frequently invite children and young people to parliamentary
hearings, get to know their point of view on matters that affect
them and empower them in policy-making processes.
