"These psychological problems are very serious": Élisabeth Borne calls for "taking young people's mental health seriously"

"Violence in schools is unacceptable." Education Minister Élisabeth Borne announced on BFMTV on Sunday, May 25, her commitment to "fighting all forms of violence" in schools. The minister cited harassment and the introduction of bladed weapons into schools.

She also deemed the throwing of a door by students at a high school in Essonne , which injured a teacher on Thursday, "extremely serious." The investigation, opened for aggravated assault by the Evry prosecutor's office, must determine why the students did this and whether they were aware that there were teachers below.

Among the possible explanations for a "rise in violence" among young people, Élisabeth Borne also mentioned a "mental health problem that must also be tackled head on." She cited the example of the "Nantes tragedy," where a teenager killed another high school student in April , before being hospitalized in a psychiatric unit.

"These psychological and psychiatric problems are very significant" among young people, the minister declared, acknowledging that we must "go further" on these "mental health issues."

In mid-May, Élisabeth Borne announced her intention to improve health and well-being in schools, emphasizing better management of students' mental health issues . The Minister of Education announced at the School Health Conference that, starting in 2026, all six-year-old students will have to receive a "personalized analysis of their health situation." Currently, only 20% of students of this age receive a medical examination.

Another measure: starting in June 2025, vulnerable students will be able to benefit from a "fast-track" system to give them priority access to medical-psychological centers. Each middle and high school will have to adopt a mental health protocol by the end of the year to better identify and address students' psychological distress.

The unions Snics-FSU (nurses), Snuas-FP FSU (social workers), Snes-FSU (main secondary school teachers' union) and FSU-Snuipp (primary education) deplored the "narrow measures" and "inappropriate responses".

"The projects presented are more of a cover-up than a genuine ambition," they added in a press release, calling for "this reform to change course," with "additional human resources" and a "revaluation of all staff."

The CFDT Education union also deemed these measures "far from meeting staff expectations and addressing the challenges." It was "a significant disappointment," its general secretary, Catherine Nave-Bekhti, told AFP.

Several figures have revealed an alarming situation in the mental health of young people in recent years. A study conducted by Public Health France showed that in 2021, one-fifth of 18- to 24-year-olds had experienced a depressive episode, a level never seen before.

Since then, the EnCLASS 2022 survey on adolescent well-being has shown that 14% of middle school students and 15% of high school students were at "a significant risk of depression." A quarter of high school students (24%) reported having had suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months, with girls significantly more affected than boys (31% versus 17%),