Since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, young people, and particularly students, have become more precarious.

Anxiety disorders, depression: their mental health deteriorates, which can even lead to suicide attempts.

Stéphany Orain-Pélissol, clinical psychologist, gives the keys to identifying the signs of disorders among the youngest in Europe 1. 

INTERVIEW

About 40% of 18-24 year olds have generalized anxiety disorder.

This is one of the alarming findings of an Ipsos survey for FondaMental, a scientific foundation specializing in the field of mental illness.

Health and social restrictions, worries about the future due to the economic crisis: the situation of young people is becoming precarious and their mental health is deteriorating.

Stéphany Orain-Pélissol, clinical psychologist, gives the keys to Europe 1 to detect disorders and better support the distress of young people in order to avoid a "ricochet effect".

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"We are in an unprecedented situation which leads to chronic stress. It will gradually transform into generalized anxiety disorder, with permanent concern for the future, for his health, for the health of his loved ones, at the level financial ... And little by little, this generalized anxiety can lead to depression, "explains the psychologist.

Deprived of all the usual resources to get better - social bond, party, concert, sport, cinema - more and more young people are feeling unwell.

Still according to the Ipsos survey, 20% of respondents are depressed and two out of three young people believe that the crisis will have consequences on their mental health. 

How to spot the signs of anxiety disorders

These anxiety disorders can have physical consequences such as sleep disorders or eating disorders.

“We have to intervene now,” says Stéphany Orain-Pélissol.

For worried parents, a few signs can already alert.

"When you live with the young, you have to be attentive to his rhythm in terms of sleep", explains the psychologist.

"If we see that he starts to shift: watch out."

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The school results can also give a clue on the loss of direction, the demotivation of the teenagers vis-a-vis online courses.

"Remember to look at his notes to see what is happening at the level of school monitoring, which is becoming more and more difficult", advises Stéphany Orain-Pélissol.

Other signs: a sudden change of mood, silence.

"The youngster begins to be very isolated, to spend a lot of time in his room, without really speaking or exchanging", decrypts the professional. 

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The main thing is to act quickly to prevent the symptoms from lasting: "Generally, a period of one week to fifteen days when we see disturbances in appetite, sleep or changes in mood requires a consultation" , assures the clinical psychologist. 

Listen, normalize "dark thoughts"

One of the first solutions to help a young person suffering from the symptoms mentioned above, and to accompany him to a consultation if necessary, remains listening and speaking.

"There are sufficient listening lines for some students, who do not need to go further. The fact of sharing will relieve them", explains Stéphany Orain-Pélissol.

Dedicated psychological support platforms such as Covid Ecoute or Ecoute Etudiant Ile-de-France allow you to consult guides, meditation exercises to calm your anxieties or find directories of practitioners.

A meeting with a general practitioner can also provide guidance to young people, especially if their discomfort is combined with various addictions (alcohol, drugs, screen).

Parents can also try to establish contact with their children, with frankness, explains the psychologist.

"You have to approach things fairly directly with them," she says.

"Tell them we're going through a tough time, that even we adults are fed up and starting to get bored of it."

Frankly question the child about his dark thoughts, his loss of hope or his studies in order to "normalize" these heavy feelings.

"Standardizing this kind of ideas that we can all have makes it possible to make speech accessible to the child", summarizes the mental health professional.