Youth mental health in France worsened during COVID-19 pandemic: Study

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) – A new study revealed on Thursday that the mental health of young people in France deteriorated further during the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in late 2019 and affected the entire world.

The study, published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, sheds light on how the global COVID-19 pandemic has affected young people's mental health.

The research examined data from the national health insurance database in France from January 2016 to June 2023, which included over 20 million people under the age of 25.

The data showed a significant increase in therapy requests, mental health treatments, hospitalizations, and the use of antidepressant medications among young people, especially during the COVID-19 period.

The study also found that, while the use of mental health medications increased across all age and gender groups, the increase was much more pronounced after the pandemic than before the outbreak.

The prescription of medications such as lithium and clozapine, used for severe mental health conditions, increased starting at age 6, according to the findings.

The study highlighted that these findings point to the need for a comprehensive approach to address both the inadequacies of the healthcare system and the social issues affecting the mental health of young people.