The approach of the end-of-year holidays can cause depression, loneliness, and feelings of isolation. Young people aged 12 to 25 are not spared. This age category now represents 40% of calls received by the SOS Amitié association which is sounding the alarm.
Mental or physical suffering, relationship problems, legal, moral or existential problems, material problems, violence, loneliness, break-up, bereavement, family, sexuality, etc. The reasons for unhappiness can be multiple. While older people talk a lot about loneliness, physical suffering and family problems, younger people talk about difficult situations such as addiction, psychological suffering, suicide and violence.
According to Anne, communications manager at SOS Amitié d’Istres et du pays d’Aix, “young people often have this discomfort, this feeling of being alone, of not being listened to, whether by family, teachers or friends. They call SOS Amitié to unload what distress and anguish they have accumulated. About fifteen years ago, young people under 25 represented 17% of calls to SOS Amitié. Now, since the Covid years, we are at 40%, with children from 12 years old! These young people are increasingly cashless and announce suicidal thoughts or exhibit behaviors such as anorexia and scarification.“.
If you need it, the SOS Amitié listeners respond 7 days a week, 24 hours a day at 09.72.39.40.50. With more than 3,500,000 calls received by SOS Amitié, 2023 was unfortunately a record year for the association. This was almost 220,000 times more than in 2022. Note that it is also possible to become a volunteer. SOS Amitié always needs listeners: according to the association, a person is missing in approximately 1 in 5 calls.
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