Mental health promotion in the early years: Case studies from Italy

Mental health problems among children have been increasing over the past decades. About 20% of school children experience mental health difficulties. Depression is portrayed as the primary global health issue amongst adolescents, with suicide being the third biggest cause of adolescent death (World Health Organization, 2015). Half of the mental health difficulties begin before the age of 14 years (World Health Organization, 2014). This underlines the urgent need for prevention, with systems such as families and schools providing a unique opportunity for the promotion of mental health of students from an early age and at vulnerable periods in their development. Schools are an ideal setting to promote the mental health of children and youth as they provide an opportunity to reach large groups of children during their formative years of cognitive, emotional and behavioural development (Weare, 2010). The present chapter presents the most recent policies and effective school-based programs on mental health promotion in Italy