Survey shows depression, anxiety rife among young Kazakhs  

A poll commissioned by Exclusive.kz has shown an alarming mental health situation among young Kazakhs, with a staggering 70 percent plus suffering from one condition or another.  

Twenty-one percent of young Kazakhs are struggling with insomnia, 16.6 percent with apathy, 15.7 percent with long spells of bad moods, 13.2 percent with anxiety and 12.8 percent with stress, according to the poll conducted by the Qalam Fund. 

The survey held in August-September involved 2,044 people aged between 18 and 35 from across the country. 

For comparison, according to the WHO, depression affects 3.8 percent of the world population, including 5.7 percent of those over 60. In Kazakhstan it is the young who are more vulnerable to depression – the figure is three times the world average. The figures for insomnia, apathy, anxiety, and long spells of bad moods are four to five times the global average. 

Given that the said conditions tend to lead to physical illnesses and behavioural disorders, the country might in the near future face a serious increase in heart conditions, strokes and cancer, and various addictions (to drugs, alcohol, gaming) and antisocial behaviour (riots, gang violence, extremist activities).  

Also, over 22 percent of those polled admitted to being addicted to internet gaming and nearly 40 percent to social media, i.e. spending over four hours a day on social media sites.  

According to the survey, 18 percent of young people use drugs. Almost half of those use strong psychoactive substances (opiates and synthetic drugs). 

According to Ranking.kz, in January-July this year the number of criminal convictions among juveniles was up 11.5 percent on the previous year (944 cases), while drug-related crimes in January-August rose by 8.7 percent compared with last year, according to Finprom.kz. 

The Qalam Fund survey results indirectly confirm earlier research and data on the poor mental state of the country’s young people, such as the highest suicide rate in the world among teenagers.  

The poll also showed that 36.3 percent of young people had no knowledge of mental health issues, while 34.9 percent had only a vague idea of where to seek help. A third have never sought any help; 14.6 percent have sought help from friends; and only 11.4 percent have sought professional help. 

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