Teen Mental Health in Turkey

I read an article this year in the Turkish Minute that presented incredibly disturbing findings about the state of teen mental health in our nation. Notably, the publication reported that teen suicide rates in Turkey rose by some 80 percent between 2018 and 2022. The Turkish Minute cited a UNICEF report that called the spike in teen death by suicide as “one of the steepest increases globally.” The “Innocent Report Card 19: Child Well-Being in an Unpredictable World” was credited with amassing data to assess relative mental health of adolescents across nations. The piece quoted Prof. Dr. Özgür Öner of  Bahçeşehir University, who pointed to social media exposure, concern for climate change, financial insecurity, and even political issues as contributing to poor mental health.

As a teenager myself, I also think that the stigmatization of mental health challenges, namely the idea that it isn’t okay to not be okay, contributes to suicide ideation. The stigma around mental health issues basically tags adolescents who are struggling as “different” and often amounts to decreased social standing. Further, the idea of people with mental illness as dangerous, unpredictable, or scary likely discourages teens from identifying themselves as unstable.

Improving mental health in Turkish teens has to address the social norms that make teens feel othered or unworthy and enhance the chance that they will feel comfortable expressing to others that they are not okay.