Image: Flickr/David Mican. Some rights reserved.
Half of voters aged 18 to 24 cried or felt like crying when
they heard that the UK had voted to leave the EU, recent research by the LSE has found. Having spent much of my working life treating young
people who are emotionally affected by events they cannot control, I am not surprised.
What I find
more unsettling is the hostility of some of the reactions to the news which ridiculed
young people for being “hysterical”, “crybabies” or “angst-ridden teenies”. Such
phrases reveal a worrying tendency in our society to both dismiss the views of
young people as worthless, and to belittle the seriousness of their emotional
and mental well-being. It’s a tendency that contributes to the stigma around
mental illness, which in turn is one of the causes of our failure to invest in
prevention or to provide adequate mental health services for vulnerable young
people.
Around one
in ten children and young people between the ages of five and 16 experiences
significant mental health problems, and numbers are increasing. Yet waiting
times for specialist treatment are so dangerously long that nine in ten GPs
fear that children in their care could come to harm while
waiting. The uncertainty around the futures of the 55,000 NHS staff who come
from the EU is a further threat to services that are already patchy.
It is vital
that we do not lose sight of the impact of current events on young people. Of
course the causes of their mental health problems are many and various, and are
commonly rooted in concerns about family, school, and friendships. Yet these immediate
personal worries cannot be separated from events in the outside world, and are
often intensified by them. A teenager
who is worried about their parents’ job stability and their own employment
prospects for example is likely to be further unsettled by news of economic
uncertainty.
Many young
people are evidently experiencing feelings of grief and anger following the
vote. Others are jubilant and genuinely excited
about a brighter future for their country. And those too young to participate in the
referendum are generally angry about being denied a say, with an NUS survey
showing that 76% of 16 and 17 year olds stating they would have voted.
For adults in
contact with young people distressed by current events, my advice is to keep
lines of communication open and offer practical strategies on dealing with
change. Creating a sense of security is fundamental to managing anxiety, so making
sure there is both positive and negative information at hand and encouraging
less worry time are important.
Ultimately,
the LSE’s research is cause for optimism. I am frequently impressed by how
positively and strongly young people know what they believe in and about what
they want for their future. Their compassion and passionate engagement with the
world, as well as the inclusive opinions they have and their commitment to
expressing them is inspiring.
It is
important now that we harness their enthusiasm. I hope the strength of feeling
sparked by the referendum will inspire more young people to get involved in public
life, and prompt the Government to lower the voting age to 16. However,
listening to teenagers, and treating them with dignity and respect,
particularly when they are unhappy, is the responsibility of all of us, not
just politicians.
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