Sharp rise in teenagers plagued by mental health issues – the 7 signs you must not ignore

ONE in four teenagers now have mental health woes, NHS figures show.

Surveys found 25.7 per cent of 17 to 19-year-olds likely have a disorder such as depression or anxiety.

1

The figure is a sharp rise from 17.4 per cent last year.

Around a fifth of younger kids or their parents also raised concerns about emotional struggles.

Dr Tamsin Newlove Delgado, from Exeter University, said: “Covid-19 has been quite a shock to the system in terms of impacts on young people's education, family, home lives and socialising. 

“When we think about 17 to 19-year-olds in particular, this age range is one where it's often quite a time of stressful change for young people. 

“Moving from childhood to adulthood can already be stressful and this cohort of young people have been going through those changes during Covid.

“You can imagine that might have a particular impact on them.”

The findings come from a study of 2,866 children and young people who are now aged between seven and 24.

The NHS Digital report does not name specific conditions but grades children’s “general psychological distress”.

Most read in Health

BRAIN GAME

The 9 best things you can do in January to slash your risk of Alzheimer's

RED ALERT

Man, 37, suffers heart attack at Hyrox finish line after 'ball of fire in chest'

SPOT IT

From rashes to lingering pimples - the 6 body marks you MUST see a doctor about

SNACK ATTACK

Kids and teens risking dementia as 'unhealthy habits' cause brain changes

Conditions like depression, anxiety, ADHD, behavioural problems, autism and eating disorders would be picked up by the results, the authors said.

At primary school, boys are most likely to have mental disorders but this balance flips as kids grow older, with girls suffering more past the age of 16.

Children in households struggling with the cost of living are more likely to suffer mental ill health.

Sophie Corlett, from the charity Mind, said the proportion of young people suffering poor mental health has stayed “consistently high” since the height of the Covid pandemic.

Parents can look out for signs their youngsters are struggling.

Dr Melinda Rees, consultant psychologist at mental health support platform Psyomics, explains seven key red flags that something is wrong:

1. They are becoming socially withdrawn and spending unusual amounts of time alone instead of with family or friends
2. They are always tired and skip activities or seem exhausted throughout the day
3. They spend too much time on social media and seem upset or annoyed by it but cannot stop
4. Regularly skipping meals could be a sign of an eating disorder
5. They become angry or upset regularly and without a clear reason, appearing to struggle to control their emotions
6. They are suddenly quitting hobbies they used to love
7. There is a long-term dip in their grades at school or teachers become worried about their behaviour and performance