24.8 C
Nicosia
Friday, March 29, 2024

Latest News

Powered by:

Helpline: Anxiety and relationship problems trouble youth

Relevant News

Anxiety, anger and relationship problems are the most troubling issues for Cyprus’ young people, a Youth Board (ONEK) report showed.

ONEK said that in 2018 it received 1,291 calls to its 1410 helpline by people who wanted to talk about negative emotions (anxiety, anger, disappointment) and 1,020 calls by young people who wanted to talk about relationship issues.

The helpline also received 572 calls from people who wanted to talk about mental health issues, 471 calls about low self-esteem and communication skills, 224 calls about substance abuse and gambling, 196 calls that had to do with parental counseling and 139 calls by people who wanted to talk about psychological and physical violence.

In their report, ONEK commented on relationship problems. “It seems that more and more often young people are mainly concerned about relationships with those around them, which are judged unsatisfactory or problematic. These two issues often coexist and are likely to have a causal relationship.”

The youth organisation offers four programmes, the 1410 helpline, an e-counseling service, the Micri Arktos prevention centre and the guidance service Protasi.

In 2018 the number of people who used one of the four services was 3,264, one more than the 3,263 people in 2017.

More people used the helpline and the e-service to seek counselling in 2018, ONEK reported.

Specifically, 1,752 people used the helpline and the e-service in 2018, a 40% increase compared to the 1,052 people of 2017.

“It is encouraging that year after year our services gain the trust of people and they are increasingly recognised as services specialised in youth issues,” ONEK said adding that it is encouraging that more and more young people and their families are looking for help instead of staying silent about issues that bother them, which could become more complex, if left unaddressed.

For more information about ONEK’s programmes contact 97725204 daily from 8 am to 3 pm.

The 1410 helpline the e-counseling service provide advice and support from 10 am to 11 pm and from 3 pm to 11 pm, on weekends, anonymously and free of charge.

 

 

Follow in-cyprus on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.