Estonian researchers: Mental health literacy overlooks everyday well-being skills
Estonian researchers found that mental health literacy has focused too heavily on recognizing disorders while neglecting the everyday habits that support well-being. A related study also linked digital media use among teens to greater body dissatisfaction, with family support helping to offset the effect.
Several recent studies involving researchers from Estonia's National Institute for Health Development (TAI) suggest that mental health literacy has largely overlooked the everyday skills people need to maintain their well-being.
TAI researcher Hedvig Sultson took part in a broad umbrella review analyzing 40 literature reviews published between 2000 and 2024, aiming to assess how mental health literacy has been defined and measured over time. The findings appeared in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.
The review found that attention has largely centered on understanding mental disorders, reducing stigma and knowing when to seek help, while far less focus has gone toward well-being itself and the everyday factors that support it. Sultson said mental health literacy should also help people recognize what supports well-being — including safe relationships, a sense of belonging, sleep, physical activity, meaningful activities, and knowing when to seek support. She noted that focusing mainly on recognizing disorders means part of prevention gets overlooked.
TAI's 2024 health behavior survey found that 23 percent of men and 27 percent of women in Estonia reported more stress than usual, while depression symptoms were reported by 19 percent of men and 24 percent of women. Both figures declined compared to 2022, though stress levels remain higher than at the start of the previous decade.
Digital media's impact
A separate study involving TAI chief researcher Toomas Veidebaum, published in BMC Pediatrics, examined data from 3,608 European adolescents averaging about 13 years old. It looked at connections between digital media use, body dissatisfaction and family environment. Greater time spent on digital media, particularly smartphones and internet use, was linked to higher body dissatisfaction, while a supportive family environment appeared to weaken that link. Veidebaum said young people compare themselves extensively to what they see online, and that open family conversations about appearance and well-being help them process what they encounter in digital spaces.
TAI's 2024 child mental health survey found that 22 percent of 11- to 17-year-olds reported fairly or very frequent difficulty coping with stress, rising to 44 percent among 17-year-old girls. Among respondents aged 15 and older, 32 percent said they had self-harmed at least once, including 41 percent of girls. Researchers say the findings underline the need to support mental well-being before problems escalate, with involvement from home, school and digital environments. The data are included in TAI's 2026 Population Health Yearbook.
