Young people more likely to have mental disorder than any other age group, report says

Young people are now more likely to experience a common mental disorder (CMD) than any other age group, according to a new report from the Resolution Foundation.

The economic consequences are greatest for those whose poor mental health is accompanied by poor educational outcomes, the report says. One in three young non-graduates with a CMD are currently out of work, it finds.

The report, entitled We’ve only just begun, is the final report of a three-year research programme funded by the Health Foundation. It explores the relationship between young people’s mental health and work outcomes, and how policy makers should respond.

In 2021-2022 one in three young people aged 18-24 reported symptoms of conditions such depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder – up from one in four in 2000. As a result, more than half a million 18-24-year-olds were prescribed antidepressants in 2021-22.

The figures represent a complete reversal of the situation two decades ago, when this age group was the least likely to report a CMD.

The number of young people out of work as a result of ill-health has more than doubled over the past decade, from 93,000 to 190,000. People in their early 20s are now more likely to be economically inactive due to ill health than those in their 40s.

Mental health problems limit economic options

The report’s authors argue that mental health problems among young people are limiting their economic options. It finds that between 2018 and 2022, one-in-five of 18-24-year-olds with mental health problems were out of work, compared to 13% of those without mental health problems.

The Resolution Foundation calls for greater mental health support to be available for young people in compulsory education, particularly colleges and sixth forms. Last year, only 44% of children and young people in secondary schools or post-16 settings, such as FE colleges, had access to mental health support teams. The figure for post-16 settings alone was only 31%.

Because qualifications provide significant protection against the economic impact of CMDs, more should be done, the Foundation argues, to ensure fewer people leave compulsory education with very low qualification levels. Describing current resit success rates as “woeful,” it says the priority should be those students needing to resit GCSE level qualifications. Last year, only one-quarter of those who resat GCSE English, and one-in-six of those who resat GCSE maths, achieved a pass.

Finally, the Foundation says that a new focus is needed on mental health in sectors where young people with CMDs are concentrated. These young people say that the awareness of their manager makes a huge difference. A third of young employees in the retail and hospitality sectors report mental health problems, it notes. Better management practices and mental health training for employers in these sectors should be a priority, the report argues.

Better support services needed in colleges

Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: “With more than one-in-three 18-24-year-olds now experiencing a common mental disorder, urgent action is needed. Alongside work to address the root causes of this epidemic, we need to ensure that young people’s future prospects are not blighted by their mental health problems.

“Attention on this issue has tended to focus on higher education, but what should most worry us is when poor mental health comes together with poor education outcomes. The economic consequences of poor mental health are starkest for young people who don’t go to university, with one-in-three young non-graduates with a common mental disorder currently workless.

“To address this mental health crisis, we need better support services in currently underserved colleges, and much better provision for those resitting exams so that everyone has qualifications to build on.

“Employers also have a part to play, because the quality of managers in sectors like retail and hospitality is key to more young people with poor mental health staying in the world of work.”