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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

2 clusters · 15 sources · 8 days · First seen 10 days ago · Last updated 2 days ago

Categories: HEALTH

Italy youth mental health concerns

Entities: SOSS (Servizio telefonico di supporto, orientamento e sostegno sociale) · Italian parents · Fondazione Don Luigi Di Liegro · Italian children and adolescents · Lazio Region

Overview

In late July 2026 Italy’s free mental‑health telephone service SOSS recorded a sharp rise in calls, with parental contacts climbing from 8 % to 35 % of all calls, especially in the Lazio region. Experts linked the surge to growing anxiety, depression and distress among adolescents and called for early, non‑clinical interventions in homes, schools and communities.

Official data released shortly after confirmed that pediatric psychotropic drug use had more than tripled since 2016, reaching a 0.64 % prevalence among children and adolescents in 2025. The latest AIFA report detailed a 12.1 % increase over 2024, a prescription rate of 63.8 per 1,000 children and consumption of 66.9 packages per 1,000 – more than three times the 2016 level. Use was highest among 12‑17‑year‑olds (1.56 % prevalence, 142.2 packages per 1,000). Overall, 46.3 % of the pediatric population (about 4.1 million) took at least one medication. The most marked growth was seen in ADHD treatments, especially methylphenidate (+28.9 %), as well as atypical antipsychotics aripiprazole (+14.6 %) and risperidone (+13.3 %), and the antidepressant sertraline (+9.6 %). While Italy’s consumption remains below that of France and the United States, the combined rise in service demand and pharmaceutical treatment underscores an expanding need for both supportive and medical responses to youth mental‑health challenges.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 3 SOURCES] In 2025 the prevalence of psychotropic drug use among Italian children was 0.64%, a 12.1% increase over 2024. (AIFA OsMed report)
[● 3 SOURCES] 13.3% of pediatric psychotropic drug users received only one prescription in 2025. (AIFA OsMed report)
[● 3 SOURCES] The prescription rate for pediatric psychotropic drugs was 63.8 per 1,000 children in 2025, up 13.2% from the previous year. (AIFA OsMed report)
[● 3 SOURCES] Consumption of pediatric psychotropic drugs reached 66.9 packages per 1,000 children in 2025, representing 3.4% of total pediatric drug consumption. (AIFA OsMed report)
[● 3 SOURCES] From 2016 to 2025, pediatric psychotropic drug prevalence and consumption more than tripled, rising from 0.26% (20.6 packages per 1,000 children) to 0.64% (66.9 packages per 1,000 children). (AIFA OsMed report)
[● 3 SOURCES] The highest psychotropic drug use was among 12‑17‑year‑olds, with 142.2 packages per 1,000 children and a prevalence of 1.56%. (AIFA OsMed report)
[● 3 SOURCES] In 2025, 46.3% of Italy’s pediatric population (about 4.1 million children) took at least one medication. (AIFA OsMed report)
[● 3 SOURCES] ADHD medication (methylphenidate) use rose 28.9%, atypical antipsychotics aripiprazole 14.6% and risperidone 13.3%, and antidepressant sertraline 9.6% in 2025. (AIFA OsMed report)

Timeline

2 days ago

[HEALTH] 13 sources
Italy reports rise in pediatric psychotropic drug use, consumption triples since 2016
Italy's pediatric psychotropic drug use rose to 0.64% in 2025, with consumption tripling since 2016 and notable increases in ADHD and antidepressant prescriptions, AIFA reports.
10 days ago

[HEALTH] 2 sources
Italy mental health hotline sees surge in parental calls, stays open through August
Italy’s SOSS mental‑health helpline reports a surge in parental calls, with demand up from 8 % to 35 % and service staying open through August, highlighting growing youth distress.

Sources

adginforma.it · codirp.it · forchecaudine.it · ilfaroonline.it · ilquotidianoweb.it · lacronaca24.it · lamilano.it · mirador.lu · notiziedi.it · opinione.it · quotidianodifoggia.it · sudefuturi.it · thestructure.co.uk · vetrinatv.it · znewsonline.hu

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history