Product/Service Development

Our own recent field research and key NGO reports show rising psychopathology in Lebanese youth as they lack access to mental health services amidst rapidly worsening living conditions. The sociopolitical crisis and unprecedented recession, greatly exacerbated by COVID-19, have led to high inflation and pushed 50% of Lebanese to poverty and unemployment. Our innovation, Yes to Emotions in Youth (YEY), will provide 600 vulnerable youth in public schools with accessible mental health resources.

In 2014, ISIS launched a genocidal campaign against Yezidis, killing men and enslaving women and children. Yezidi youth have been exposed to multiple atrocities, remain displaced, have little or no income, and are severely traumatized. They live in camps with limited access to education, mental health services or opportunities. Hopelessness and absence of safe spaces have led to rising suicide rates. Yezidis have lived in insulated communities, with limited interaction with the outside world.

Boko Haram attacks have affected community life, leaving many youth especially girls who are the main targets for suicide bombs, emotional torture and associated trauma. Unfortunately, access to psychosocial care remains almost non-existent. Villages lack social services as most state owned social centers only exist in chief towns. While some organizations have attempted to address this issue, most activities only provide partial psychosocial components with little attention on youths 10-24

COVID-19 crisis has badly affected countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA), adding turbulence and fear to unsustainable economic and political environment. During COVID19 pandemic, Teenergizer got the significant increase of requests from young people suffering from social isolation, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, personality disorder and suicidal feelings. Health and social care services are not youth friendly, so young people usually avoid it and look for help in the community

Deafblindness combines varying degrees of vision and hearing impairment. Deafblind individuals face discrimination due to their inability to communicate and are denied human rights. Communication for deafblind individuals is through touch, which has been limited due to pandemic. This has raised barriers to access to information. A recent survey of 60 young deafblind adults resulted in 82% showing signs of depression and reflected signs of emotional abuse, physical abuse and high stress levels.

High levels of trauma in homes and the community and inequality mixed with youth unemployment (40%) influence youth's sense of self-belief, agency, and creativity. It negatively impacts their wellbeing, their behavior, their ability to learn and engage healthily with others. They struggle to become a productive part of the economy increasing instability, negative health outcomes, poverty, crime, and extremism. Trauma is a significant factor for young Kenyans, impacting their mental health.

Internally displaced persons(IDPs) are among the most vulnerable people in the world suffering from mental health disorders. Due to the menace of Boko Haram terrorism, over 2 million people have been displaced in Nigeria triggering a tsunami of mental health conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) to suicidal tendencies. Evidence has shown that the risks of substance use, depression, and PTSD are about two, four, and five times greater respectively among IDPs than in others.

Mental health literacy (MHL) of the youth in LMIC is low and enhancing the MHL of the vulnerable youth in the Juvenile Justice System (JJS) in India is especially a challenge. The youth in the JJS do not have access to positive mental health and there is a significant lack of knowledge about mental health issues among the providers caring for them in the facilities. The access to mental health care is limited within these facilities and there is stigma about mental health and poor help seeking.

India accounts for a third of suicides globally and it is the leading cause of death among older adolescents in India. The State of Chhattisgarh, with 30.62% indigenous tribal population has the 2nd highest suicide rate in India with a 0.2% probability of meeting SDG 3.4 target of one-third reduction in suicides by 2030. 76% of Chhattisgarh’s adolescents (15-19 years) live in rural areas with very poor access to psychosocial services. There are no suicide prevention programs in Chhattisgarh.

Mental health problems affect 10–20% of children and young people (CYP) worldwide; 90% live in low-middle income countries (Kieling, C., et al., 2011). Evidence shows life-long risk factors associated with institutionalization, including violence, abuse and neglect, all of which heightens mental health issues. CYP with experience of institutional care are more likely to face serious barriers to access services: a recent study shows 35% CYP received no support once they left care (UCL, 2019).