Joining a sports team and committing to at least one hour of physical activity a day could be part of the solution to the alarming increase in mental health challenges witnessed among youths during the pandemic, according to experts.
Last week it was revealed that Richmond Malta experienced a staggering 1,045 per cent surge in requests by youths for help in mental health issues since the start of COVID, and experts warned of long-term consequences.
Psychiatrist Nigel Camilleri told Times of Malta research shows that physical exercise has a “moderate anti-depressant effect” on people, improving one’s mood for at least six months.
Together with psychologist Mark Piscopo, he believes there needs to be a strong culture change in the local attitude to sports to the point that physical activity becomes a core subject at school.
“However, physical activity should not be tested like other core subjects. The focus should remain the ‘play element’ of sports, as physical activity should never be punitive,” Piscopo told Times of Malta ahead of a national conference about mental health this week.
“In Malta politicians speak of sports becoming performance-oriented, when that is exactly what discourages children from taking up regular physical activity… and consequently negatively impacting their mental wellbeing,” he added.
Camilleri also noted that teachers should stop urging students to halt physical training ahead of exams: “on the contrary, the best thing students could do before an exam is to go for a run, as, among others, physical activity in itself is an anxiolytic and therefore reduces anxiety.”
Community spirits wards off solitude, loneliness
Camilleri, who specialises in the mental wellbeing of children and adolescents, believes that, additionally, team sports could ward off solitude and loneliness – both triggers of mental health issues.
As part of an ongoing postgraduate study, he locally introduced the concept of a psychiatrist supporting football team members with motivational talks about a sense of belonging and community spirit.
Over the span of 10 weeks, he noticed improved performance on the field among male footballers, and he is now repeating the exercise with a female football team. Players told him they have become more invested in their team, identify more with their mates, and make a bigger effort to achieve their common goals.
His colleague Piscopo noted that with community spirit gradually eroding across all of society, people are becoming more individualistic.
“As humans continue drifting away from their community, youths are often playing videogames or browsing social media in isolation, ending up feeling like they have no tangible purpose in life.
“Sports is an opportunity to bring back that community spirit, a sense of belonging to a community, like a football or a running club that gives participants a purpose in life,” he added.
The Malta branch of the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health is holding a national conference on Thursday and Friday with experts discussing gender identity, sports, self-harm, substance misuse and the neurological overlap with mental health, among others.
Anyone can attend but you need to book a place by today. More information on malta@acamh.org
One hour a day, six times a week
For adolescents and youths, the World Health Organisation recommends one hour a day of physical activity for six days a week for adolescents and young adults.
According to the latest report, published by WHO this year, based on 2017 data, only 55% of children aged six to nine reach sufficient physical activity levels. The percentage drops the older the child, down to 10% for 15-year-olds. Only nine per cent of Maltese aged over 15 carry out sufficient physical activity.