Confronting the mental health crisis: Addressing depression and anxiety among adolescents through prevention and social renaissance

Abstract

This paper provides a comprehensive perspective on the mental health crisis, with a particular focus on depression and anxiety among adolescents. These disorders are non-communicable diseases and have emerged as chronic epidemics with societal implications. The paper highlights the multifaceted root causes of these disorders, including genetic, epigenetic, environmental, lifestyle, evolutionary, and social factors. It also presents critiques on the current pharmacological and psychological treatments, arguing that focusing solely on a treatment perspective disregards the wider societal factors beyond medicine. Through this perspective, we advocate for a holistic, prevention-oriented approach, emphasizing lifestyle modifications, social environmental enhancements, psychotherapy access, and psychoeducation intervention, for addressing these disorders. A multitiered strategy engaging educational institutions, clinical practitioners, and policymakers is proposed to foster an environment where adolescents can thrive.

Keywords

Depression / Anxiety / Adolescent / Social determinants / Lifestyle modification / Social renaissance / Psychoeducation

Acknowledgments

The inspiration for this paper came from a conversation I had with Dr. Dai Wenji, a child and adolescent psychiatrist. She explained that solving this issue requires a collective effort from all sectors of society - priests, doctors, social workers, and the government. That moment of awakening sparked my curiosity and motivated me to explore the issue beyond traditional practices.

Funding

None.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no competing interests.

Author contributions

Conceptualization: Xiaoqing Xiang

Writing-original draft: Xiaoqing Xiang

Writing-review & editing: Sandra Thompson

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data

Not applicable.

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