Not enough importance is being placed on the relationship between mental health and future life outcomes.” Too little investment is being made by governments to address these critical needs. Even before the pandemic, far too many children were burdened under the weight of unaddressed mental health issues.

“The impact is significant, and it is just the tip of the iceberg.

With nationwide lockdowns and pandemic-related movement restrictions, children have spent indelible years of their lives away from family, friends, classrooms, play – key elements of childhood itself,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “It has been a long, long 18 months for all of us – especially children. The report finds that about 2 per cent of government health budgets are allocated to mental health spending globally. Meanwhile, wide gaps persist between mental health needs and mental health funding. Almost 46,000 adolescents die from suicide each year, among the top five causes of death for their age group. NEW YORK, 5 October 2021 – Children and young people could feel the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and well-being for many years to come, UNICEF warned in its flagship report today.Īccording to The State of the World’s Children 2021 On My Mind: promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health – UNICEF’s most comprehensive look at the mental health of children, adolescents and caregivers in the 21st century – even before COVID-19, children and young people carried the burden of mental health conditions without significant investment in addressing them.Īccording to the latest available estimates, more than 1 in 7 adolescents aged 10–19 is estimated to live with a diagnosed mental disorder globally.

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