Some interesting though troubling information comes out of a recent UCL-led study, published in August 2023 in Psychological Medicine. This longitudinal UK-based research, spanning several decades, reveals a steep increase in common mental health disorders (depression, anxiety, stress) especially amongst adolescents. The study is part of a wider research project, tracking over 29 million people for more than 12 years, and offers a wealth of data on the phenomenon though no clear explanations, leaving us with questions rather than answers. Participants in the study had symptoms or diagnoses of anxiety, depression, or a combination of the two, while some were taking psychiatric medications for these problems, as reported within primary care records.
The picture when it comes to young people appears bleak. Rates for this age group have more than doubled in the past two decades, and are much higher than those of adults, with a steep increase among those aged 16-24 years, numbers more than doubling from 2000 to 2019.