Young Cypriots are experiencing bullying at work with the 6th House of New Representatives stressing in its final reports for 2023 that action must be taken. Young people are also concerned about the increase in the number of suicides, and they also document the gaps in service provision for the mentally ill. Across the country, they stress, there are just eight beds for adolescents with mental disorders and highlight the need to eliminate stigma among the mentally ill.
The final reports of the 6th House of New Representatives were tabled last week and in them, a special report on the mental health sector is included.
According to a survey by the Cyprus Employees’ Confederation, cited by the House of New Representatives, “seven out of 10 workers believe that workplace harassment is a daily reality with one in two admitting to personal experience of workplace bullying.”
Young people consider the increase in the number of suicides to be “of paramount importance”. In Cypriot society, according to data from the Ministry of Health submitted to the Parliament, 560 suicides were recorded in the period 2004-2020, of which 452 involved men and 108 women, while 15 suicides of minors were recorded.
In a survey on young people’s mental health prepared for the Cyprus Youth Organisation, with a sample of 500 young people aged 18-35, “41% of respondents said they strongly agreed or somewhat agreed that mental health is a taboo subject.”
Many young people, the report adds, “report that they do not receive adequate medical care because they do not know where to turn or because they are ashamed, which also affects their physical health.” As a result, they have lower self-confidence and tend to isolate themselves.
For mental health services, the Youth Parliament states: “Unfortunately, there are serious problems and deficiencies in our existing mental health services in our state. Existing building facilities are outdated and inaccessible to patients, with understaffing and constant overcrowding of beds.”
