How is Switzerland’s mental health faring?

A cross-School and interdisciplinary collaboration between Frank Wieber (School of Health Professions), Agnes von Wyl and Katrin Braune-Krickau (School of Applied Psychology) and Michael P. Hengartner (Kalaidos University of Applied Sciences) focussed on the topic of mental health in children, young people and young adults. 

In an interview, Frank Wieber, Deputy Head of Research at the Institute of Public Health, shares insights into the state of mental health among children and young people in Switzerland and what can be done to improve it.

What data underpins the new National Health Report?

Frank Wieber: The National Health Report applies stringent requirements in terms of data quality. For this reason, we primarily drew on the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study (hbsc.ch) and the Swiss Health Survey. The former is conducted at an international level every four years under the auspices of the World Health Organization and covers young people aged 11 to 15. The Swiss Health Survey is carried out every five years and includes individuals aged 15 to 24 as the youngest group. There is unfortunately no representative data in Switzerland at present pertaining to the mental health of children aged 6 to 10.

Are Swiss children and young people worse off than five years ago?

The mental burden they experience has increased, with this being especially true among adolescent girls and young women.

Are girls more vulnerable than boys? Is there an explanation for this increase?

There is no definitive explanation in this regard. Current discussions focus on stress, the pressure to perform and the impact of digital media – the report contains a dedicated section on this topic. A further factor is the phenomenon of the “polycrisis,” which encompasses elements such as shifts in the world order, wars, climate change and other uncertainties such as the question of which professions are still secure in the age of artificial intelligence. Information on all of these flashpoints is continuously transmitted to our mobile phones in real time, often triggering a sense of loss of control in children and young people. Role models also have a strong impact. Girls, in particular, tend to place extremely high expectations on themselves. This is compounded by socially dictated trends and the requirement to juggle multiple, in some cases burdensome roles, including career development, family life, childcare and pressures from beauty ideals. All of these factors are further amplified by social media.

What worries you the most?

I don’t see a reversal of this trend, or at least a significant easing of the current situation. While the importance of mental health has gained greater awareness in recent years, there are no simple solutions. Measures are being developed – Australia, for example, has passed legislation stating that young people can only sign up to social media after reaching the age of 16. However, when taking such action, it is also important to take the right of children and young people to participate in the digital world seriously. Nevertheless, it is undisputed that social media operators deliberately target the brain’s reward system. Resisting these sophisticated mechanisms as a child or young person when your brain is not yet fully developed or finding a way of dealing with them adequately is likely to overwhelm most.

That doesn’t sound very optimistic.

Society is called upon to support children and young people and to do so in a variety of ways. Sport and exercise are on the decline despite the fact that they are important protective factors. Generally speaking, the ability to connect with others made possible by digital media is a positive thing. However, the selective amplification of certain topics through algorithms promotes the descent into so-called rabbit holes, a phenomenon which seldom leads to positive outcomes. 

Where do you see opportunities?

Mental health has gained greater attention in public discourse. This increase in awareness is a positive development and is helping to identify mental health issues more frequently and at an earlier stage. Less encouraging, however, are the increasing instances of self-diagnosed ADHD. Such assessments are complex and should be made by professionals. 

In the media, topics such as ADHD, autism and neurodiversity are very present – especially in connection with education.

Unfortunately here – beside the positive contribution this coverage has made to awareness-raising and destigmatisation – there is the danger of a media overdose, as was the case during the coronavirus pandemic. The worst-case scenario would be that people start saying “I don't want to hear about this anymore!” And even though the need for action remains high, the costs and suffering associated with mental health are still not afforded the significance that they should be. Brain health is seen as a key challenge of the decades ahead. We need to better understand the health of our brain if we are to keep it healthy for longer and reduce its susceptibility to disease. Interdisciplinary collaboration is already contributing to an improvement here. For example, the fields of psychiatry and neurology are increasingly converging. We need to pool all our efforts if we are to make progress.

That sounds like a big ask.

Even small changes can have an impact. For example, simple steps could be taken to influence pupils’ sense of control and stress levels at school: instead of the traditional model of concentrating the majority of exams at the end of the school year – a practice that overwhelms many pupils and places them under unnecessary stress, exams could be spread throughout the year. In fact, many schools are already doing just this.

Nine out of ten 16- to 25-year-olds state that they are satisfied with their lives. At the same time, one-third of young men and more than half of young women in this age group feel that they have little influence on how things unfold. They also report that their energy levels and vitality are sub-optimal. 

While young adults are often aware that their physical health is good, many of them simultaneously suffer from psychoaffective symptoms such as fatigue, sleep difficulties, sadness or anxiety. Among young women, vitality and energy levels are below those of people aged 75 and above! The old saying that the next generation will have it better clearly does not hold true in this instance. 

We also have less clarity on how men react. Do they bottle up their problems? Do they become aggressive? What is the impact of traditional gender roles that dictate that men should not show weakness? These are questions that have still not been conclusively answered.

Where is action needed, and what issues need to be investigated further?

Promoting mental health is an area that needs to be bolstered. This includes continued efforts to raise awareness among the population and improving early detection. All too often, people still say “they’ll grow out of it.” – No, in many cases they won’t. Improving the provision of care is also important. We are facing a crisis in this area. People in need of therapy today are facing waiting times of up to a year for an appointment. Training in this area needs to be expanded accordingly, and new models, such as interdisciplinary collaborations and group-based services, have to be promoted. This approach will allow for synergies to be exploited and for costs to be kept under control. More data is also required if we are to make reliable statements about mental health, in particular among younger children, and to monitor current developments effectively. Ultimately, a holistic bio-psycho-social approach is vital – one that considers the systemic interplay between family, school, peers and other influencing factors. One key aspect in all this is the participation of children, young people and young adults. It is essential that they are involved because this is about them.

National Health Report 2025 (available in French and German): https://www.gesundheitsbericht2025.ch