The findings of a youth mental health survey by the Zagreb Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences worry experts and parents, notably due to suicidality symptoms, Jutarnji List daily said on Friday.

The symptoms have been on the rise since the pandemic and the findings show that one in five secondary school sophomores say they have self-harmed.

Twenty-one percent seriously thought about committing suicide at least one, 14% planned it and 7% attempted it.

Furthermore, 21% of the sophomores show serious depression symptoms, of whom 11% show extremely pronounced symptoms. One in three show serious anxiety symptoms, of whom 22% show extremely pronounced symptoms, while 17% of respondents have serious stress symptoms. The percentages are the same for freshmen.

Researchers say these percentages don’t suggest that a disorder might be diagnosed among those students, but they do point to the need for intervention and special attention.

Although the depression and anxiety symptoms are very similar to the extent of the problem before the pandemic, such pronounced problems point to a public health issue, the daily quoted survey leader Miranda Novak as saying.

This calls for urgently involving the state and decision makers by ensuring funds for mental health promotion, additional capacity in counselling centres, and more mental health experts, she added.