The news that a major prevalence study targeting adolescent mental health was launched in mid-January has once again focussed attention on psychiatric issues, specifically the mental health of young people in Malta.

All over the world, there is a growing awareness of the strong connection between childhood and adolescence on the one hand and mental health in its various ramifications on the other.

Various aspects of the relationship have been known for a long time: firstly, in many cases, mental health issues start at the commencement of teenage-hood or even before that, although, unfortunately, many years may go by before they are detected and recognised for what they are.

Secondly, various factors can be considered as causing or contributing to the development of childhood psychiatric disorders. Genetics is of course an important factor. Various immediate stresses to which the child is subjected, like parental strife and other forms of problematic family dynamics, material deprivation, social exclusion, bullying, child abuse in its various forms and other negative forces may also play a very important part in the development of mental health issues bedevilling children and adolescents.

Thirdly, more remote factors can also play a part: policies embraced by governments which do not take into account the particular vulnerabilities of youth may negatively influence the mental health of youngsters. The unwanted effects of the liberalisation of cannabis spring readily to mind.

Young people with mental health difficulties need help. Timely and tailor-made assistance can help arrest a condition and, paradoxically, even bring out talents and skills which, had not the psycho-social crisis occurred, would never have found expression.

It would be a mistake to think of Malta as some sort of backwater when it comes to the detection of mental health problems and their treatment. Many professionals are trained sufficiently well to recognise various conditions. Counsellors in schools can, and do, meet some of the suffering children and adolescents’ needs, and know to refer to more specialised services when necessary.

There is a very clear problem, however, with the treatment services on offer: the dedicated and often highly capable professionals within the Psychiatric Services, Appoġġ and other agencies simply do not have access to the resources required to render services of the highest standards and in a timely manner.

Professionals have long been clamouring for ages for the provision of appropriate material resources. Last October, the Maltese Association of Psychiatry and the Malta Association of Public Health Medicine jointly called for an appropriate plan and funded measures to enable them to carry out their work properly in the service of both the adult and young members of the community. Pleas like these are often met with sympathetic noises – and not much else in concrete terms.

In fairness, the Mental Health Strategy launched a year ago – and some other measures recently implemented – can be seen as excellent steps forward, but one can only be reassured that our young people will be well-served when a comprehensive array of well-manned services are made available by our political masters.

The research project alluded to above aims at providing a scientific basis for the prevalence of mental health issues among our young population. If the political will is present, this information will enable policy-makers to plan effectively for the cutting-edge services our young people deserve.