1: Mental Health Literacy and Young People: What's Up With Everyone?

This book examines creative approaches to mental health literacy. In the wake of COVID-19, and the onslaught of major war breaking out once again in Europe, the mental health of young people is at stake, with increasing numbers struggling with anxiety, depression, and other psychological challenges. During the pandemic, the Children's Commissioner reported that in the United Kingdom, 1 in 6 young people aged 5–19 had a probable mental health disorder in 2020. This had risen from 1 in 9 in 2017! There was also a 33% increase in referrals to children's mental health services in 2019/2020 and a 4% increase in the number of young people receiving support from the NHS in the United Kingdom alone. The report highlighted a big gap between ambition and reality in addressing these challenges, with a “decent mental health service” remaining elusive (Children's Commissioner, 2021). In the United States two key reports claimed a national mental health emergency among young people (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021; US Surgeon General, 2021).