The Queen’s Young Leaders Group at St Margaret College Secondary School, Verdala, together with the group’s founder teacher, Martin Azzopardi, held an activity on October 11 to commemorate Mental Illness Awareness Week, which is celebrated from October 6 to 12. October 10 also marks World Mental Health Day and National Depression Screening Day.

St Margaret Queen’s Young Leaders Group was founded in 2014. Each year, student members write and publish articles promoting moral and social values inspired by speeches of Queen Elizabeth II.

On World Mental Health Day, the students focused their attention on the Queen’s May 11 speech to both UK Houses of Parliament, in which she highlighted the need of measures to support the nation’s health and well-being, especially by tackling obesity and improving mental health.

According to recent World Health Organisation studies, it is estimated that close to 120,000 people in Malta are living with a mental disorder. Local data shows that around 150 deaths per year are attributable to mental and behavioural disorders, which include two to three suicides per month. The current pandemic has added an additional challenge to mental health and well-being by causing anxiety, stress, depression and isolation.

Close to 120,000 people in Malta are living with a mental disorder- World Health Organisation

The mental health landscape in Malta has indeed changed since 2011, when the National Office for the Promotion of Rights of Persons with Mental Disorders was set up. Since then, there is more awareness of the impact of mental health difficulties on individual health and well-being, families, workplaces and society as a whole.

Past achievements and recent changes augur well for more widespread developments that will permeate the whole mental health system in Malta and enrich the delivery of quality mental health services to patients and families. It is Malta’s aim that these services will have a continued focus on low-income families, disadvantaged groups and high-risk individuals whereby the stigma and discrimination associated with mental disorders will be eliminated from Maltese society.

St Margaret Queen’s Young Leaders Group organised a group discussion about causes of mental health problems in youths and practical suggestions to ease stress and anxiety.

The following are reflections and insights of some participating students about causes of stress and anxiety in youths:

“Bullying. We need more awareness on speech responsibility. A bullied person needs to have the courage to report at once before things get more serious” – Rihana Grech and Denzel Portelli;

“Loneliness and the inability to express your inner deep feelings with someone you trust” – Aliyah Higgans;

“Too much schoolwork (more than a person can handle). Youths need to seek true friends and professional people able to support them in this regard” – Sheyzen Grima;

“Teenagers suffer from anxiety when they feel judged, especially by the virtual media. People expect more maturity from teenagers but then they treat them like children. Teenagers need to seek professional help when they feel depressed” – Toyah Lia;

“Family problems and addiction can be the main cause of depression in youths. Learning to open up your heart and express sentiments can help youths overcoming stress and depression” – Yirish Delia and Aianne Alusta;

“Lack of self-confidence and love. Youths need more awareness about mental health, especially through special sessions at school” – Pearl Marie Abela;

“Youths can fall into a depression if they feel their parents or family relatives have no interest in them. Youths need to open up and share their feelings more with trustworthy people” – Lindsay Farrugia;

“Giving too much weight to ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ on Facebook. Youths need to care less about people’s comments” – Leonella Galea;

“Being always compared with others in a way that makes youths feel discouraged and unlucky in life. Schools can do more to help youths handle daily stress and anxiety” – Yanique Gambin;

“Having no friends. Schools should be less stressful” – Andrew Cole;

“Verbal bullying has a very bad effect on others especially on youths. Seeking help and guidance can be very helpful in this regard” – Matt Camilleri Lagana;

“Too much focus on appearance and beauty. More education on healthy self-esteem is needed” – Sheizel Camilleri;

“Peer pressure and narcissism. We need to learn to think more of others and about ourselves” – Jahel Buhagiar.

Their teacher, Martin Azzopardi, added: “Education and schools can contribute to creating a mentally healthy environment for children. Students need to be more aware about mental health and schools can make a big difference.”

The activity also sought to promote two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: good health and well-being, and quality education. 

This article was written by students Rihanna Grech, Pearl Marie Abela, Denzel Portelli and Yirish Delia from St Margaret College Secondary School, Verdala.