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Join today<\/a><\/p>\n \n Already a member? Young people are facing a “lack of hope” that their lives will be better than their parents “for the first time since the Second World War<\/a>“, experts warned after reporting a rise in mental health<\/a> problems. <\/p>\n Professor Peter Fonagy, chairman of a new review into mental ill-health, warned of a “turning point” that society must address as more young people feel “they\u2019re going to have a future that\u2019s less hopeful than their parents”. <\/p>\n The review states that the rise in mental health problems “is real, is affecting everyday functioning and cannot be explained by greater awareness alone”. <\/p>\n At present around four million children are in “serious distress”, academics said, and they warned that this figure could rise to 4.5 million by 2030 without action. <\/p>\n In 1993 around one in six children and young people met the criteria for a common mental health disorder and this rose to one in four by 2024. <\/p>\n Common mental health problems and mental distress have “increased substantially”, particularly among young women, according to the review. <\/p>\n Self-harm<\/a> and eating disorders<\/a> have also increased among young adults, the report added. <\/p>\n It warned that the number of children and young people who self-harm could rise by half a million in just a few years if current trends continue. <\/p>\n In 2024, around two million children and young people aged up to 24 were estimated to have self-harmed.<\/p>\n Multiple factors contributing to rising mental ill-health among young people<\/p>\n Experts also highlighted the co-occurrence of mental health disorders and traits of autism<\/a> or ADHD<\/a> (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) among children and young people.<\/p>\n Among 16 to 24-year-olds with a common mental health condition such as anxiety or depression, some 57% also had traits of ADHD and 61% had autism traits, researchers found.<\/p>\n Professor Peter Fonagy, chairman of the review, listed multiple factors which could be contributing to rising mental ill-health among young people, including uncertainty about their futures, a lessened sense of belonging, the impacts of social media<\/a> and reduced spending on services such as youth clubs.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThere is increased uncertainty \u2013 financial pressures, insecure work, unaffordable housing \u2013 but perhaps more important, a lack of hope amongst young people that their lives will be better than their parents, and that\u2019s the first time since the Second World War that surveys have noticed that.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWe are waiting too long. The threshold for seeing people is too high and too many people are untreated.\u201d<\/p>\n Prof Fonagy, who is head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at UCL, said people feel isolated from education, work and their communities \u201cwhilst they wait to get help\u201d.<\/p>\n He added: \u201cAnd that\u2019s sad because we know what works for this group: early support based on needs alongside clinical help, giving people a sense of purpose, agency and place.\u201d<\/p>\n Britain \u2018faces generational fault line\u2019<\/p>\n Analysis published in the summer suggested young people\u2019s life satisfaction has fallen sharply in recent years.<\/p>\n Fewer than half of 16 to 24-year-olds living in England feel satisfied with their lives nowadays, down from almost two-thirds in 2010, the Institute for Public Policy Research<\/a> (IPPR<\/a>) think tank said, adding that \u201cgrowing up in England has become more pressured, more isolating and less enjoyable than it was even a decade ago\u201d.<\/p>\n That research followed another Government<\/a> adviser earlier this year warning of the risk of \u201ca lost generation\u201d amid a crisis in youth unemployment.<\/p>\n One-time health secretary Alan Milburn<\/a>, whose final report is expected later this autumn, said in an interim publication in May that Britain \u201cfaces a generational fault line\u201d, with factors including the pandemic<\/a>, smartphones, a lack of readiness for work on leaving school and a challenging jobs market all impacting on rising youth unemployment.<\/p>\n Centre for Mental Health chief executive Andy Bell said: \u201cThe (Fonagy) report makes clear that rising rates of mental distress do not have a single cause.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the result of a toxic mix of risks that have affected children and young people most strongly, coupled with inadequate investment in mental health support.<\/p>\n \u201cThat means we need to tackle rising mental distress systemically: tackling the wide range of stressors that are doing harm and putting in place better and faster support where and when it\u2019s needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The review states that the rise in mental health problems \u2018is real, is affecting everyday functioning and cannot be explained by greater awareness alone\u2019 (Alamy\/PA)<\/p>\n![\"Common](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/iStock-1480254699.jpg\")
Common mental health problems and mental distress have “increased substantially”, particularly among young women, according to the review (Getty Images)<\/p>\n