HANNAH LOCHER From UNICEF Switzerland. She quotes some alarming statistics; over a third of all 14-to-19-yearolds have suffered from severe or medium-to-severe anxiety or depression. Photo provided Causes and symptoms of mental illness UNICEF names the following as risk factors for psychological problems among children and young people: poverty, families affected by addiction or violence, emotional neglect in childhood and bad childhood experiences (school bullying, for example). Investments in preventing mental illness are in the interests of society as a whole, including economically. The London School of Economics estimates the losses from mental impairments and disabilities leading to the inability to work or death of young people at almost USD 58 billion per year in Europe. So, mental health is not just an issue for young people in Switzerland – and it didn’t start with the Covid pandemic, as might have been thought from the surveys (see main text). “The pandemic was a possible driver but the problem predates it,” says Hannah Locher from UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Covid accentuated it and made it visible, she says. (DLA) it is for the members of parliament themselves to achieve something tangible in the long-drawn-out and complex process of Swiss politics,” says Fiona Maran, team head of campaigns for engage.ch at the ASYP. As a positive example, she mentions the motion submitted in the summer of 2022 by National Councillor Lukas Reimann (SVP), proposing that the Federal Council promote language study trips for pupils in Switzerland in all four national languages. The Federal Council rejected the motion; however, the National Council approved it in the spring of 2024. The next step is the Council of States, so the motion may still lead somewhere. Another topic of interest to the young is early recognition of the risk of reduced retirement pensions due to gaps caused by social insurance contributions not having been paid every year. The proThe 15-year-old secondary school pupil Irem Dönmez also wants to address pressure to perform. She will present a procedural request from the youth in Zurich on the topic of mental health to the city parliament. It’s a topic that lies close to her heart, after she found the transfer from the second to the third class of secondary school “very stressful”. “We had to attend many apprenticeship trial days until we found an apprenticeship in August, manage the regular schoolwork and sit a daily exam for two weeks at the end.” It’s understandable that their nerves become frayed in these situations, she says, all the more so if they have their own issues to deal with. Young people want more understanding from teachers about this emotional burden; they need room and tangible opportunities to address their feelings and issues at secondary school. “People shouldn’t just think about school during this challenging time,” says Dönmez. Her procedural request thus calls for a credit from the city to finance prevention programmes, thereby strengthening mental health at secondary school. A pressing issue for the young “Zukunftsrat U24” (“Council of the future U24”) sees mental health as the main issue for young people in Switzerland. The topic was rated urgent in a nationwide representative survey. The “Zukunftsrat” is supported by the Swiss Society for the Common Good (SSCG). This is a council of citizens aged from 16 to 24 who live in Switzerland. The 80 members are selected from 20,000 eligible persons through a multi-stage drawing of lots. The composition of the council should reflect the Swiss people as closely as possible and thus also includes foreign nationals who are disenblem often arises at the start of working life. FDP National Councillor Andri Silberschmidt has raised the issue in parliament, and the Federal Council has taken a position on it. “Alarming” mental health figures Anyone who gives the young a voice is showing them that their opinion counts, and by doing so is helping with prevention. Hannah Locher from UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the child welfare organisation of the United Nations, is certain of this. Studies show that many children and young people in Switzerland are struggling. According to a survey by UNICEF Switzerland and Liechtenstein in 2021, 37 per cent of 14-to-19year-olds experience moderately severe or severe symptoms of anxiety disorder and/or depression. “The figures are alarming,” says Locher, also with a nod to the Stress Study by Swiss foundation Pro Juventute, which ran from the end of 2019 to early 2020 and involved over 1,000 pupils. It shows that a third of children and young people in Switzerland are under considerable stress, feel tired and exhausted and are under pressure to perform. Swiss Review / July 2025 / No.3 6 Focus
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