Covid pandemic hard on young people's mental health; 488,000 have problems

The number of young people with mental health problems increased significantly during the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, 18 percent of 12 to 25-year-olds were "mentally unhealthy," Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. That equates to 488,000 young people. In 2019 and 2020, that was still 11 percent. The deterioration is likely due to the coronavirus measures, like school closures and lockdowns.

"Young people often felt depressed and gloomy, among other things," said CBS. Mental health deteriorated the most among girls and women in this age group. The stats office classified nearly a quarter of this group as "mentally unhealthy." Before the coronavirus crisis, in 2019, 14 percent of girls and women had mental health problems. "But more young men also had to deal with poorer mental health," CBS said.

The agency conducted a health survey among young people, in which they answered questions about their emotional well-being. Among other things, the stats office looked at how often young people feel depressed, restless, and unhappy.

Previously, research by CBS already showed that young people's mental health deteriorated in the last quarter of 2020, and this continued into the first two quarters of 2021. They indicated that they were much less likely to be happy and satisfied with life than before the pandemic.