The Youth Mental Health Handbook, developed within the MEET project, is now available. The MEET project is an Interreg Danube Region Programme project co-funded by the European Union, with HÉTFA Research Institute participating as a project partner.
The Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of youth mental health, presenting experiences from countries across the Danube Region while exploring opportunities to further strengthen mental health support systems.
The publication offers an in-depth analysis of the current situation and highlights the key challenges faced by adolescents and young adults, as well as the systems supporting them. Research shows that 50% of mental health conditions emerge before the age of 14, while 75% develop before the age of 24. The COVID-19 pandemic, digitalisation, economic uncertainty and broader social changes have further increased the pressures affecting younger generations, underlining the importance of strengthening prevention and early intervention.
The Handbook also examines the main challenges facing existing support systems, including shortages of mental health professionals, regional disparities in access to services, the stigma surrounding mental health, and the difficulties marginalised groups—such as early school leavers and young people from Roma communities—often face in accessing appropriate support. Alongside identifying these challenges, it presents practical recommendations, good practices and policy proposals aimed at improving mental health support systems for young people.
Read the MEET Youth Mental Health Handbook.