One in Seven Teenagers Faces a Mental Health Challenge — and Peer Pressure Is a Quiet Message That You Must Be Like Everyone Else
On World Mental Health Day (October 10) the WHO figure was recalled that about one in seven adolescents lives with a challenge; psychologist Natasha Madzevska warns that no law can fully protect young people from pressure.
World Mental Health Day, October 10, put the spotlight on young people’s mental state, peer pressure and social media. According to the World Health Organization, about one in seven adolescents lives with a mental health challenge. The text we checked contains no figures on the number of patients or psychiatrists in Macedonia, nor a statement from the ministry.
Psychologist Natasha Madzevska says peer pressure often works as a quiet message that young people must look and choose like others to be accepted. “There is no law that can fully protect young people from pressure,” she said. Bans are necessary, but lasting results come from encouraging critical thinking and from support. Protecting minors is a shared responsibility of parents, teachers, friends and institutions.
What adults can do right away: talk to the teenager without judgment, notice changes in sleep, mood or school performance, and if worried seek help from a school psychologist, pediatrician or psychiatrist. If someone is in immediate danger, emergency help should be sought.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 13, 2026
