1 in 4 Young People Have Common Mental Health Condition, Survey Suggests

This is higher than the average for adults, with 20.2 percent or an estimated 9.4 million adults in England having a common mental health condition.

File photo of staff on a NHS hospital ward, on Jan. 18, 2023. Jeff Moore/PA Wire

A survey suggests young people are more likely to have a common mental health condition (CMHC) than older people, with one in four affected.

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) conducted for NHS England and published on Thursday found that 25.8 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds have a CMHC, up from 18.9 percent in 2014 and 17.5 percent in 2007.

This is higher than the average for adults, with one in five (20.2 percent) having a CMHC.

According to NHS England, CMHCs have “increased in prevalence” among working-age adults (those aged 16 to 64). Working-age adults with some form of CMHC rose from 15.5 percent in 1993, to 17.5 percent in 2000, 17.6 percent in 2007, 18.9 percent in 2014, and 22.6 percent in 2023–2024.

The oldest age group (75 and over) also saw increases in CMHCs in the past decade. However, report authors noted the prevalence was “lower and stable,” at 9.9 percent in 2007, 8.8 percent in 2014, and 10.2 percent in 2023–2024.

CMHC is a collective term for various types of depression and anxiety disorders. While CMHCs can cause distress and disrupt the ability to function in daily life, they do not usually affect cognition and are less debilitating than major psychiatric illnesses.

‘Upward Trend’ in CMHCs Among Young

NHS England noted that evidence from the Mental Health of Children and Young People surveys suggested that for young people, the COVID-19 pandemic era “had both a significant and sustained effect on mental health.”

However, the health service added that there has been an “upward trend” in CMHCs among that demographic before the lockdowns.

It also pointed to other APMS studies published in previous years, which have mentioned other possible factors affecting young people’s mental health, including economic and social changes, reduced access to outdoor environments, and fewer social companions.

Suicidal Thoughts and Self-Harm

Elsewhere, the APMS report revealed an increase in non-suicidal self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and attempted suicide in England.

The survey found that the number of 16- 74-year-olds in England reporting suicidal thoughts in the past year had nearly doubled between 2000 and 2023–2024, increasing from 3.8 percent to 6.7 percent.

Suicide attempts have risen from 0.5 percent in 2000 to 1.0 percent in 2023–2024.

Self-harm has also increased, more than quadrupling from 2.4 percent of 16- to 74-year-olds in 2000 to 10.3 percent in 2023–2024.

NHS England noticed that the prevalence of self-harm without suicidal attempts steeply declines with increasing age.

One in four (24.6 percent) young people have reported self-harming, compared with 0.6 percent of those aged 75 and over.

‘Concerning’

Mental health charity Sane said that the findings show the scale of the mental health crisis in England.

Marjorie Wallace, founder and chief executive of SANE, said: “This report exposes the huge scale of need facing a system that is already in breakdown, particularly involving the services available to young people.

“The escalation in both the extent and severity of self-harm and suicide attempts remains deeply disturbing.”

Wallace added that around 60 percent of calls to the charity’s helpline “are about suicidal thoughts or plans.”

Rebecca Gray, mental health director at the NHS Confederation, which is a membership body for NHS service providers, said, “These new figures paint a deeply worrying but sadly unsurprising picture, which reflect that our members have seen significant increases in demand over this period but also a rise in the acuity and complexity of needs—with many people coming to services for the first time in crisis.”

6,700 Mental Health Workers Recruited

The government has committed to improving access to mental health services, with its strategy for doing so set to be published in its 10 Year Health Plan.

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced on Friday that it has made progress towards that aim. DHSC said that since Labour won the July 2024 election, 6,700 additional mental health workers have been recruited towards the government’s target of 8,500.

The government is also continuing to roll out mental health support teams in schools. There are also plans to establish Young Futures Hubs, which the DHSC says will make it easier for young people to access career, pastoral, and mental health support.

The department also announced on June 27 that patients will be able to self-refer for talking therapies through the NHS App, without needing to see a GP first.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Not getting the right support for your mental health isn’t just debilitating, it can hit a painful pause button on your life—stopping you working, enjoying time with family and friends, or living day-to-day life.

“Patients have faced the crisis of access to mental health services for far too long, and this government is determined to change that through our Plan for Change to rebuild the NHS.”

If you’re struggling or need someone to talk to, help is available. You can call Samaritans for free, any time, on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org.