Measurement of mental health problems among adolescents and young adults throughout the world
This article addresses the need for better data on adolescent and young adult mental health, which will in turn help us to develop better prevention and treatment programs for improving the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults.
The article highlights the importance of measuring and monitoring adolescent and young adult mental health disorders and presents key efforts aimed at developing tools and indicators for measurement and reporting. These instruments may be of assistance in detection of adolescent mental health conditions and care-seeking behaviors. One of the featured tools is the Measurement of Mental Health Among Adolescents at the Population Level (MMAP), developed by UNICEF in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other key institutional and academic partners.
Access other articles in the series:
- Commentary presenting UNICEF’s effort in developing methodological developments for measuring adolescent mental health at the population level (MMAP TAG)
- Perspective on the importance of measuring mental health among adolescents (WHO/GAMA)
- Commentary on the need for increased investment on mental health data and evidence generation (WEC/Global Future Council)
- Aligning measurement frameworks with multisectoral actions (Azzopardi, Hijazi others)
Learn more about UNICEF’s data work on mental health