THE recent publication of the Global School-based Student Health Survey has renewed concern about the mental health of Jamaica’s children and adolescents. The findings are troubling and demand attention from families, schools, communities and the State.

According to the survey, conducted by the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), suicidal thoughts were highest among grade 11 students, reported by 36.6 per cent of girls and 23.1 per cent of boys. Depression was also highest among grade 11 students, at 47.8 per cent among girls and 23.8 per cent among boys. Anxiety was highest among grade 10 students, with 46.2 per cent of girls and 16.8 per cent of boys reporting symptoms.

Suicide attempts were most serious among grade 9 girls at 32.4 per cent, grade 8 boys at 21.8 per cent, and grade 10 boys at 21.5 per cent. Our first responsibility is to ensure that children experiencing mental distress can get the care they need.

But these numbers also require us to ask: Why are so many of our young people struggling? There is no single answer. Anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal behaviour can be influenced by a range of individual, family, social, and environmental factors. We should therefore be careful not to attribute what we are seeing to any one cause. However, some things happening around our children deserve closer attention.

Consumer culture has become increasingly influential in how we define success and social standing. Social media gives young people a constant view of what other people own, where they go, how they look, and what they appear to be achieving. Much of what is presented online is carefully selected and edited, but the comparison it creates is real. The newest phone, the right shoes, the family vacation, the car a child arrives at school in, and the ability to participate in certain activities can all become markers of status.

For children whose families cannot afford these things, those differences can become a source of embarrassment, exclusion, or feelings of inadequacy. Ambition and wanting to improve one’s circumstances are not wrong, and social media itself is not the problem.

The concern is when children begin to measure their value against lifestyles and images that may bear little resemblance to ordinary life.

ACADEMIC PRESSURE

We also need to look at the pressure surrounding academic achievement. Education remains one of the most powerful ways to improve the circumstances of an individual, a family, and a country. We should encourage and celebrate academic excellence.

But academic performance cannot be the only measure of a child’s ability or potential. Every child has a gift, though our systems do not always provide enough opportunity to discover and develop it. A child may have an aptitude for agriculture, technology, design, construction, entrepreneurship, or the culinary arts. Some are natural leaders. Others excel in sport, music, or the performing arts, or have an exceptional ability to work with and care for people.

These abilities have value too. Yet, from primary school, many children find themselves in an increasingly competitive environment of examinations, homework, extra lessons, and the pursuit of entry into a ‘good’ high school and later a ‘good’ university. For some, the pressure can become overwhelming, particularly when poor performance is followed by criticism, embarrassment, or constant comparison with other children.

A disappointing grade should mean that a child did not perform well on a particular assessment. It should never become, in that child’s mind, evidence that they are a failure. Academic pressure, social media, and materialism do not, by themselves, explain suicide or mental illness. Suicidal behaviour is complex and may involve mental illness, trauma, family circumstances, violence, bereavement, relationships, and several other factors.

But prevention cannot start only when a child reaches a hospital in crisis. We have to pay attention to what is happening in that child’s life long before then. The Ministry of Health and Wellness has been strengthening services for children and adolescents through our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

We currently provide specialised psychiatric, psychological, and social work care through 23 child guidance clinics across the island. We are also working with the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth, and Information to strengthen schools’ ability to identify and respond to mental distress.

Teachers and guidance counsellors are being trained in psychological first aid, while the School Mental Health Literacy Programme is helping educators recognise warning signs and refer children for appropriate care.

PEER SUPPORT

Psychosocial support is also being provided for children who have experienced community violence, domestic trauma, and acute loss. We are also developing peer support, recognising that young people often confide in friends before approaching a parent, teacher, or other adult. The aim is to help young people recognise when a friend may be struggling and know when an adult or professional needs to become involved.

But the health system cannot carry this responsibility alone. Parents and guardians must create an environment in which children can speak about fear, disappointment, anxiety, and failure without being dismissed, ridiculed, or constantly compared with someone else.

Children should be expected to work hard, behave responsibly, and strive to do their best, but they should never feel that love, approval, or respect depends on how well they perform. Schools, churches, and community organisations also have a role. Children need places where they feel they belong, adults they can trust, and opportunities to discover what they are good at.

Dr Donovan Thomas of Choose Life International has, through the Art of Happiness, emphasised the importance of happiness, purpose, and emotional fulfilment in suicide prevention. That approach has value, particularly when we consider how easily children can define themselves by academic performance, possessions, or the approval of others. Adults also have to be careful not to minimise what young people are experiencing because their problems may seem less serious from an adult perspective.

Something that appears temporary to an adult can feel permanent to an adolescent. Dismissing distress as foolishness, weakness or attention-seeking may make a young person less likely to ask for help again. There is also a point at which a child needs more than reassurance or a listening ear. Any child or adolescent who expresses suicidal thoughts has developed a suicide plan or indicates an intention to cause self-harm requires immediate attention.

Do not leave the child alone and never dismiss such statements. Take them immediately to the nearest hospital emergency room or Accident and Emergency department for assessment and appropriate care. The digital environment also requires greater attention. Social media gives young people access to information, creativity, communication and communities that previous generations never had.

It also exposes them to cyberbullying, harmful content, unrealistic comparisons and pressure to present an idealised version of their lives. World Suicide Prevention Day, observed on September 10, focused this year on keeping the conversation about suicide prevention alive in a digital world. The Ministry has also begun increasing public awareness of responsible social media use and the steps parents, schools, and young people can take to reduce risk.

LOOK BEYOND THE STATISTICS

The findings of the Global School-based Student Health Survey should make us look beyond the statistics and examine the environment in which our children are growing up. Are we defining success too narrowly? Are we placing too much importance on possessions and appearances?

Does our education system give children with different abilities enough room to succeed? Do our children feel they can speak honestly when they are struggling? And when they do speak, are we listening? The ministry will continue to strengthen the services available to children experiencing mental health challenges. But what happens in our homes, schools, communities and online will matter just as much. If you or a young person you know requires support or non-emergency assistance, the 24-hour Mental Health Helpline is available at 888-NEW-LIFE (888-639-5433) for persons 16 years and older. Children and teenagers can contact the SafeSpot National Child and Teen Helpline at 876-439-5199 or toll-free at 888-723-7768. The U-Matter Chatline also provides confidential text-based support for young people. Text SUPPORT to 876-838-4897 by WhatsApp or SMS to speak with a trained counsellor. Every child has something to offer. Our responsibility is to make sure that, long before a child reaches crisis, they know it too.

Dr Christopher Tufton is Jamaica’s minister of health and wellness.