The various crises that children have faced in recent years, economic, health, environmental and the wars that are currently taking place, have created uncertainty and have formed a context in which mental vulnerability is amplified.

Parents, for their part, are exhausted, absorbed by the problems of everyday life and unable to cope and have full control over the information to which their children are exposed. The picture described by the experts shows a dramatic evolution over the years.

On the occasion of the World Children’s Day, the Panhellenic Society of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Professionals (PEE-ENOPSYPE) held a press conference on Thursday 11 December, in which the President Emannouil Tsalamanios, the Secretary Konstantina Maglara and the Professor of Child Psychiatry Dimitris Anagnostopoulos spoke, intending to highlight a reality that we cannot ignore any longer: The mental health of children and adolescents in our country, which is in serious crisis, while the service system is unable to meet the growing needs. Incidents of children and adolescents with anxiety disorder, phobias, behavioral problems, and depression are on the rise as many teens turn to alcohol and substance abuse.

The situation is strongly reflected in hospitals, where there is a significant increase in admissions of adolescents for high-risk behaviors involving self-harm, aggression, and substance use. Professionals are being asked to deal with problems that require multifaceted and coordinated management within a system that lacks an integrated structure and is held together by the overwhelming efforts of specialists.

Experts recommend immediate strengthening of services with staff, establishment of new structures in each regional unit, development of early intervention programmes and parallel support for parents and schools. Only a coherent, centrally planned policy can ensure that no child is deprived of their right to care. The message is urgent: the country is at a critical crossroads.

The critical juncture is crucial.
The mental health of children and adolescents has already taken a toll, but the direction we take from here will determine whether the next generation will grow up with more stability or with even greater burdens. Society, professionals, and the state must act in concert because children’s mental health cannot wait.