One in four older teenagers in England is struggling with mental health problems, according to new figures highlighting the impact of the pandemic on the younger generation.
The data, published by NHS Digital, shows that 25.7% of 17-19 year olds had probable mental health problems in 2022, compared to 17.4% (one in six) in 2021.
In 2017, the rate was 10.1% in that age group.
Among children from seven to 16 years old, it was found that 18.0% had a probable mental health problems in 2022, an increase of nearly six percentage points over the past five years.
“[The figures] they are worrisome and worrying,” said Dr Tamsin Newlove-Delgado, Senior Clinical Lecturer in Children’s Public Mental Health at the University of Exeter.
She told Sky News: “What is particularly worrying is that after the sharp rise we saw between 2017 and 2020, those high levels of mental health problems in children and young people have not returned to pre-COVID levels.
“And secondly, we’ve even seen them increase, between 2021 and 2022.
“It’s certainly clear that COVID has played a role and probably a fairly significant one when you think about the disruption that children and young people have experienced in their social and family situations, as well as their education.”
Link Between Mental Health and the Cost of Living Crisis
The cost-of-living crisis was also found to be a contributing factor in children’s declining mental health.
Among 17-22 year olds with a probable mental disorder, 14.8% reported living in a household that had had trouble buying food or used a food bank in the past year, compared with 2, 1% of those who probably did not have a mental disorder.
And 17.8% of children ages 7 to 16 with a probable mental disorder lived in a household that was behind on bills, rent, or a mortgage, compared with 7.6% of those who probably weren’t. They had no mental health problems.
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The study was based on a sample of 2,866 children and young people, ranging in age from seven to 24, and covered a variety of topics including family life, education and social media use.
online bullying
One in eight (12.6%) of all social media users aged 11-16 reported that they had been bullied online. This increased to almost one in three (29.4%) among those with a probable mental disorder.
Among all social media users ages 17-24, young women were nearly twice as likely to have experienced online bullying (19.5%) compared to young men (11.3%).
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Mental health reduces the UK workforce
While three quarters of young women (75.9%) reported having a possible eating problem, compared to less than half (45.5%) of young men.
“That seems to be a group that we should be particularly concerned about,” said Dr. Newlove-Delgado, referring to the high proportion of young women with possible eating problems.
Eating problems do not necessarily equate to an eating disorder, but data shows that the number of those affected has increased in the last five years.
In 2022, 60.3% of 17-19 year olds reported potential eating problems, up from 44.6% in 2017.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the United Kingdom. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK
