Mental Health: Young People

France faces a youth mental health crisis that has deepened in recent years:

  • Depression rates:  In 2021, 21% of young people (ages 18-24) report having experienced depression during the last 12 months, compared to 12% in 20171 
  • Suicide: Even if suicide had declined in the last two decades in France, there has been a dramatic reversal in recent years, particularly among young women. The suicide rate among women under 25 years old doubled between 2015 and 2022, with a particularly strong progression between 2020 and 2022
  • Anxiety and isolation: Social media use and post-pandemic effects have intensified feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. A 2021 survey of French youth aged 11-15 found that one in four young people are affected by generalized anxiety disorder (25%).2 
  • Loss of meaning: Many young people report feeling disconnected from traditional institutions and searching for purpose. On the other hand, according to the most recent survey, among 18-49 year-olds, the proportion declaring themselves to have no religion increased from 45% in 2008-2009 to 53% in 2019-2020. Also the Christian youth is increasingly hesitant in the practice of their faith. So much so that only 7% of people aged 18-49 cite religion as a constitutive dimension of their identity, the same proportion as in 2008-2009. However, this varies significantly by religion: religion is central to identity for 54% of Jews and 30% of Muslims, compared to just 6% of Catholics.3


Prayer Requests:

  • That God touches the hearts of this suffering generation and that they find their way back to their Father in Heaven: Luke 15:31-32 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
  • That the Church is equipped to welcome, listen to, and support these young people seeking meaning
  • That their spiritual openness becomes a door to encounter Christ

Sources:
1Public Health France, Health Barometer 2021
2IPSOS (Institute for Public Opinion Studies
3(INSEE (Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques) – 2019-2020 Trajectoires et Origines survey)