This paper provides an overview of research commissioned by Youth Futures Foundation and carried out by a team from the University of Manchester and UCL examining the drivers of the decrease in mental health among young people.
This research provides further evidence that the increase in presentations of young people with a mental health problem (or decline in young people’s mental health) is real – and not merely a result of increased symptom recognition, greater awareness, overdiagnosis, or reduced resilience.
Out of ten theories considered, several emerged as likely contributors to these trends: