Mental health: suicidal thoughts on the rise among the French population

The Directorate for Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES) is publishing a new study based on the Epidemiology and Living Conditions (EpiCov) survey, conducted among more than 64,000 people in France between 2020 and 2022.

The results show an increase in suicidal thoughts among adults, particularly marked among women aged 18 to 25, nearly 9% of whom reported having considered suicide in 2022. Young men also show increasing vulnerability.

While the prevalence of depressive syndromes decreased slightly between 2021 and 2022, the major forms persist. The use of mental health professionals is changing: the proportion of the population consulting psychiatrists or psychologists is increasing, while consultations with general practitioners for psychological reasons are declining.

Among children and adolescents, emotional difficulties are increasing, affecting 16% of them in 2022, with a more marked increase among girls.

The study also highlights the decisive influence of living conditions: financial difficulties, lack of social support, and discrimination significantly increase the risk of depressive disorders. Sexual minorities and people exposed to heavy screen and social media use are also more vulnerable.