The impact of socio-economic crisis on mental health of children and adolescents.

The socio-economic crisis affects mental health in two mutually sustaining ways: First, it undermines the protective factors contributing to and sustaining development; and second, it increases and enhances the risk factors for the emergence of mental disorders. Situations of the current reality that fall into the above categories include: employment insecurity, income instability, unemployment, flexible employment, exorbitant debts, homelessness, home insecurity, increase in social inequalities, poverty, social exclusion (especially of vulnerable groups), inability of the individual to control his/her life, and uncertainty for the future. All this contributes to a significant increase in psychiatric morbidity overall and has been sufficiently researched and documented by the scientific community during the long-term study of crises. Specifically, there is evidence of a significant increase in depression, suicide attempts, and suicide, as well as their association with unemployment and employment insecurity, in addition, there is a direct link between a country’s wealth and the population’s mental health level.