Dirk De Wachter: Youth Are Doing Well, Emotional Dips Normal

Flemish young people are generally doing well, according to renowned Belgian psychiatrist Dirk De Wachter, who is urging against alarmist narratives about youth mental health. While a recent major survey confirms that young adults aged 18 to 24 experience a dip in happiness compared to teenagers and older adults, De Wachter emphasizes that this emotional downturn is a normal part of development — not a crisis.

Speaking to VRT NWS, De Wachter offered his perspective on the findings of the “Foto van Vlaanderen” (Photo of Flanders) survey, a large-scale societal study conducted by VRT in collaboration with research firm Profacts. The survey, which has been running since 2009, measures well-being across a representative sample of 2,261 Flemish residents aged 12 and older.

The Happiness Data

The survey found that Flemish people rate their happiness at an average of 7.1 out of 10. The happiest groups are 12-to-17-year-olds (7.6/10) and those aged 65 and older (7.5/10). However, young adults aged 18 to 24 show a notable decline, with their self-assessed mental health score dropping to 6.5 out of 10, compared to 8 out of 10 for the over-65s.

According to a companion article by VRT NWS, young women in the 18-to-24 age group show the most pronounced drop in happiness scores. Key drivers include loneliness, performance pressure, feelings of inferiority, and what De Wachter calls the “paradox of expectations” — the gap between the idealized life portrayed on social media and everyday reality.

A Reassuring Expert Voice

De Wachter, a professor of psychiatry at KU Leuven and a best-selling author known for his critique of the “psychiatrization” of normal human experience, said the findings did not surprise him.

“A dip in that life phase is not strange,” he told VRT NWS. “It’s an age group to keep an eye on, but not to panic about.”

He acknowledged that this age group does face real challenges, including eating disorders and self-harm, but cautioned against framing these struggles as evidence that “our youth are going under.” He added: “In our society, most people are doing quite well.”

De Wachter pointed to the “paradox of expectations” as a central challenge: at 18, young people are expected to be in the prime of life, but reality often feels ordinary rather than spectacular. Social media amplifies this pressure, he said, with its constant demand to “look good, to be social, to go out, to have holidays that are incredible and on Instagram.”

The COVID-19 Factor

Researcher Sara Claes of Ghent University, who holds a PhD in happiness studies and contributed to the survey analysis, noted that the current 18-to-24 cohort were adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic — a period of unprecedented social disruption.

“The teenagers of back then are now the 18- to 24-year-olds,” Claes said. “We have seen that the COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on young people. If you felt bad as an adolescent during the COVID-19 pandemic, that can carry through into adulthood.”

Claes also highlighted the developmental challenges of young adulthood: “You feel the pressure of growing up. You have to shape your own life. That can be beautiful, but it also comes with discomfort. Growth is always a bit painful.”

A Broader Perspective on Well-Being

Interestingly, the survey found that older adults aged 65 and above score high on happiness despite worrying more about geopolitical instability. De Wachter interprets this concern as a sign of mental health rather than pathology.

“Not caring about that seems more problematic to me,” he said.

The survey also revealed a sobering outlook on the future: 47 percent of respondents described the future as “scary,” while only 6 percent found it “reassuring.” Women were notably more anxious about the future than men.

What This Means

De Wachter’s perspective offers a valuable counterpoint to growing alarm about youth mental health across Western Europe. While the challenges facing young people — social media pressure, economic uncertainty, the lingering effects of the pandemic — are real, his message is one of measured reassurance: emotional difficulty during young adulthood is developmentally normal and should not be automatically pathologized.

As De Wachter prepares to retire from KU Leuven later this year, his voice on these issues remains influential. His core message — that a dip in happiness during young adulthood is not strange, and that most people are doing quite well — serves as a reminder that not every emotional struggle requires a diagnosis.