Key Points

• Among children—primarily those aged 11 to 17—the number of calls for suicidal thoughts and, to a lesser extent, calls for mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and panic attacks (for SOS Médecins only) were significantly higher in September 2026 compared to August and July 2026 in both networks.
• This increase is part of a seasonal trend, which aligns with the school calendar in terms of activity indicators for mental health in emergency medicine, a pattern typically observed among children. The decline in these indicators during summer vacation is likely due to reduced pressure to succeed in school and less exposure to bullying.  
• During the first two weeks of September, an increase is observed across all mental health indicators. The rise in emergency department visits for suicidal ideation continues during the second half of the month among 11- to 14-year-olds.  
• Among 11- to 17-year-olds, visits to emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts and SOS Médecins interventions for anxiety attacks in September 2026 were significantly higher than the figures observed in previous years during the same period, as were visits to emergency rooms for mood disorders and, to a lesser extent, anxiety disorders. In contrast, emergency department visits for suicide attempts remain at levels similar to those of previous years during the same period.  
• These trends occur against the backdrop of an overall increase in activity within the 3114 suicide prevention system, a redirection of some of these calls toward emergency services, and, furthermore, the observation of a deterioration in mental health among children that has been noted for several years across various sources.²,³ Several hypotheses are currently being put forward to explain the decline in mental health among 12- to 25-year-olds¹⁻², such as unregulated social media, academic pressure, socioeconomic inequalities, and climate change.  
• Among adults, the number of consultations remained stable or decreased slightly in September 2026 compared to August across various indicators, except for visits related to suicidal thoughts among 18- to 24-year-olds and visits related to anxiety among 25- to 64-year-olds. The number of cases involving anxiety, depressive episodes, and suicidal thoughts was higher than in previous years among those aged 18–64.