
Their days are stressed: Never mind their parents: In a national survey, one in six Canadian teenagers considered themselves “workaholics.” Nearly 40 per cent reported feeling under constant pressure to “accomplish more than they could handle,” and 64 per cent reported cutting back on sleep to get stuff done. At the same time, mental health professionals report a disturbing rise in depression and anxiety among teenagers and university students; mental services at universities are having a hard time keeping up. According to various studies, illnesses such as depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder affects 13 to 22 per cent of Canadian youth, and at least 70 per cent of mental illness in adults can be traced back to childhood. The Lesson: We must focus on positive mental health in our youth.