Anxiety Rates Among Children and Youth Surpass Those of Adults for the First Time in Brazil

Worsening Mental Health Indicators of Brazilian Youth Reflect Scenario Acknowledged by Bestseller, Blaming Cellphones

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For the first time in history, the records of anxiety among children and youth surpass those of adults, as shown by an analysis conducted by Folha based on the Psychosocial Care Network (RAPS) of SUS from 2013 to 2023, a period with available data.

A ilustração de Annette Schwartsman, publicada na Folha de São Paulo no dia 28 de abr de 2024, mostra cinco adolescentes sentados sobre um muro de tijolos, todos usando seus telefones celulares e de costas para um parquinho infantil (gangorra, balanças, trepa-trepa e escorregador) completamente vazio; o grupo é formado por quatro meninas e um menino de cerca de 11, 12 anos.
The illustration by Annette Schwartsman - Annette Schwartsman

With a significant growth in recent years, the rate of patients aged ten to 14 years treated for the disorder is 125.8 per 100,000, and for teenagers, it is 157 per 100,000. Meanwhile, among individuals over 20 years old, the rate is 112.5 per 100,000, considering data from 2023. The situation of the younger age groups became more critical than that of adults in 2022.

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