Dublin: Crippling Depression Top Cause Of Illness And Suicide In World's Teenagers: WHO Report

UPDATE: Childline was contacted by children in need of help or support over 664,000 times last year in this country.

The charity responded to 463,396 of these contacts through its phone and web based services, it said today. Throughout 2013, a significant number of children were talking about abuse and welfare with 13.5 per cent of phone contacts and 15 per cent of online contacts relating to this area.

Another cause of concern for the charity was the number of times they were contacted about mental health issues. Figures indicate children are more likely to talk about this online, as 20 per cent of online contacts related to this while nine per cent of phonecalls related to it.

Last year Childline answered its five millionth call. The charity also upgraded it’s website so it was compatible with tablet and mobile devices with funding it received from the National Office for Suicide Prevention and opening hours for its live web and text services were also expanded.

The charity released the figures today ahead of International Child Helpline Day which takes place tomorrow.

“Our members receive many calls every year related to abuse, violence, mental health and family relationships,” commented director of Child Helpline International. “Call rates are also increasing by an average 5 per cent a year, meaning that helpline demand doubles every 15 years. By continuing to listen to children and young people in this fast changing world, we hope to empower them with information, support and care into the future”.

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UPDATE: Some 13% of 16-year-olds have admitted self-harming in the last year.

The finding is just one contained in new research carried out by Queen' University Belfast.

Almost a third of teenagers say they have experienced serious mental health problems in the last 12 months. Some 86% said they felt stressed in school.

A total of 1,367 16-year-olds from across the North took part in the survey.

Dr Dirk Schubotz from Queen’s University carried out the research. He said: "This a growing issue. They feel tremendously stressed. It's something we really have to take seriously."

Some studies show that half of all people who develop mental disorders have their first symptoms by the age of 14

Depression is the top global cause of illness and disability for adolescents, with suicide the third-biggest cause of death, the World Health Organization has said.

The finding is in a new report by the UN agency.

It has pulled together a wealth of published evidence with direct consultations with 10 to 19-year-olds around the world to assess the health issues that affect them.

Some studies show that half of all people who develop mental disorders have their first symptoms by the age of 14, said the report.

The study looked at a broad range of issues, including tobacco, alcohol and drug use, HIV, injuries, mental health, nutrition, sexual and reproductive health, and violence.

Traffic injuries were the number two cause of illness and disability, behind depression, with boys three times more likely to die than girls.

WHO said it was crucial for countries to reduce the risk by increasing access to reliable and safe public transport, improve road safety regulations such as alcohol and speed limits, establish safe pedestrian areas around schools and graduated licensing schemes where drivers' privileges are phased in over time.

Worldwide, an estimated 1.3 million adolescents died in 2012, it said.

The top three causes of death globally were road traffic injuries, HIV/AIDS, and suicide.

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HIV was the second cause of deaths in adolescents globally, WHO said, with estimates suggesting the number of HIV-related deaths among adolescents was rising.

This was predominantly in Africa, at a time when HIV-related deaths were decreasing in all other population groups.

"We must not let up on efforts to promote and safeguard the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents, including HIV," said WHO scientist Jane Ferguson, lead author of the report.

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For adolescent girls alone, the second-biggest killer after suicide was complications during childbirth.

That was despite major progress on that front, WHO said, with death-rates plummeting since 2000 -- by 57 percent in Asia, 50 percent in the Middle East and 37 percent in Africa.

Other infectious disease also remained major killers, despite marked successes such as a 90-percent decline in death and disability from measles in Africa over the past decade, thanks to childhood vaccination.

Common infectious diseases that have been a focus for action in young children were among the hardest-hitting.

For example, diarrhoea and lower respiratory tract infections ranked second and fourth among causes of death in 10 to 14-year-olds.

Combined with meningitis, these conditions accounted for 18 percent of all deaths in this age group, little changed from 2000, WHO said.

Keywords: depression, health, world health organization