Sir, – You report, on the latest findings of the Growing up in Ireland study, that "Almost half of young adults are suffering from mental health issues during pandemic" (News, March 26th).
The article goes on to explain that 48 per cent of 22-year-olds placed themselves in a “low mood” range last December. Given the loss, curtailment, isolation and sheer boredom endured by young people over the last 12 months, surely this is a perfectly adaptive, healthy response?
Mental health, to quote the World Health Organisation, is about “being able to cope with the normal stresses of life”. There is nothing normal about this pandemic and the inordinate measures it has necessitated. Rather than feed the narrative of young people as hapless or victims, perhaps newspaper reporting should acknowledge and celebrate a generation that continues to adapt and persevere in the face of unprecedented challenges. – Yours, etc,
Dr EMMA FARRELL,
School of Education,
University College Dublin,
Belfield, Dublin 4.