Event: Young people, Mental Health and Addictions

A person born in the early 2000s will have gone through a huge recession and its subsequent austerity measures, a pandemic with disrupted schooling and social isolation, war in Europe, and a world more and more at risk of frequent and destructive climate hazards… How could it not impact young people’s mental health? – Image: Shutterstock

According to the World Health Organisation, one in seven children and young people between the ages of 10 and 19 have mental health problems. In many cases, these problems are likely to be related to addictions. However, the situation of children and adolescents in this field remains invisible and there the available resources capable of providing an adequate, public health- and children’s rights-based response remain scarce, making it an pending problem.

The relationships between mental health problems and addictions, whether substance- or non-substance-related, range from the compulsive use of social networks to the access to pornography and online gambling, among others. In view of the data on substance use such as cannabis among young people, as well as the development of risky behaviours, it is critical to address this issue. For want of adequately addressing adolescent mental health conditions, they could have dramatic consequences into adulthood.

A virtual roundtable

On the occasion of the annual International Children’s Day on 20 November, Dianova will organize a virtual roundtable to discuss the complex situation of youth in relation to social changes, as well as their impact on young people’s mental health and relationship with substance and non-substance addictions.

• See the flyer of the event
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This roundtable will explore the challenges faced by young people with mental health problems in relation to substance and non-substance addictions, identifying gaps and actions that need to be addressed. Experts will speak from different perspectives and from various regions of the world:

Moderation by Dr. Gisela Hansen – Dianova

• Celia Prat – Youth programmes Coordinator, Fundación de Ayuda contra la Drogadicción (FAD)
• Patricia Puigdevall – Coordinator of Novasalud and the training area of Dianova Uruguay
• Simon Tavera – President, Federación Mexicana de Comunidades Terapeúticas (Mexican Federation of Therapeutic Communities)
• Xochitl Mejia – Founder and Therapeutic Director of the Centro de Desarrollo Humano Tonalli

You can access the event directly through this link.