A new report funded by the Health Foundation identifies young people as having the worst mental health across all age groups.
In 2021/22, 34% of young people aged 18 to 24 reported symptoms of mental disorder, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. That is significantly higher than in 2000, when that figure stood at 24%.
Young women are particularly affected and are one-and-a-half times more likely to experience poor mental health as young men (41% compared with 26%). Individuals in their early twenties are more likely to be out of work due to ill health compared to those in their early forties.
According to the Resolution Foundation study, this marks a “radical departure” from previous trends when this age group exhibited the lowest rates of common mental disorders and the likelihood of not working due to sickness increased with age.
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