Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health research "MI VEDETE?" project: a value-based and participatory approach to adolescent mental health in Italian schools.

BACKGROUND: The "MI VEDETE?" ("Do You See Me?") project explores adolescent mental health, identifying emotional distress and preventing mental health disorders through co-designing the solutions with upper secondary school students, families, and educators within the school environment. The survey assesses multiple domains of adolescent mental distress across emotional, cognitive, behavioural, physical, sleep-related, and risk-related dimensions. METHODS: The project was conducted between 2024 and 2025 in three Italian regions (Lombardy, Lazio, and Puglia). A mixed-methods approach was adopted, including six school-based "Awareness Day" events facilitated by psychiatrists, 96 semi-structured interviews ("anthropological conversations") with students, parents, and teachers, six co-design workshops involving teachers, psychologists, sociologists, and local experts, and a large-scale survey that collected 2,139 responses across different groups. This study focuses on the analysis of the survey data. RESULTS: The findings reveal significant differences among students, parents, and teachers in the perception of adolescent mental health. Students reported high levels of anxiety, emotional exhaustion, isolation, and distress, while both types of informants frequently perceived inferior prevalence rates and differently attributed the causes of these conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight marked differences between adolescents' self-reported emotional distress and adults' perceptions of adolescent mental health. The results underscore the need for educational initiatives specifically designed to improve parents' and teachers' ability to recognise early signs of psychological distress in young people. Enhancing adults' capacity to observe and understand adolescents' emotional needs should enable timely intervention, activating targeted support pathways and preventing mental health deterioration.