The head of an independent review into mental health, ADHD and autism says his report “dismisses the idea of a snowflake generation,” and insists that young people today face a “very toxic” environment and “real serious challenges.”
Professor Peter Fonagy spoke exclusively to the BBC ahead of the publication of his official review and insisted that, despite concerns of “over-medicalising temporary distress”, young people face a very “real rise in mental health problems.”
The review was ordered 9 months ago by then-health secretary Wes Streeting after he claimed that young people were being over-diagnosed and “written off.”
It is expected to inform government policies on everything from NHS services and benefits to support for young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Prof Fonagy, a clinical psychologist and adviser to NHS England, has worked with more than 100 experts and families with experience of mental health problems on the review, and says it will conclude that the rise in mental health problems seen since the 1990s is real.
1 in 4 young people experience mental health problems
Around 1 in 4 young people aged 16-24 are now struggling with their mental health, with anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders being the most common problems.
The Professor believes that it is simply “harder to be young” now, with children and young people faced with economic uncertainty, employment difficulties and the challenges presented by social media.
It is hard to be certain about the rise of mental health concerns, since some data sources rely on self-reporting, and some experts argue that greater awareness and reduced stigma around mental health have simply led to more people coming forward than before. This means that statistics around the prevalence of mental health problems among children and young people are often contested.
More recently, some – including many GPs – have questioned whether society has started to over-medicalise distress in people’s lives and over-diagnose people who are facing temporary stress that they should be able to learn to cope with.
Certainly, more people are being referred to specialist mental health services, with the number of children and young people being put into contact with these services rising by 50% during the last 5 years.
Young people face multiple challenges to their mental health
But Fonagy, 74, refutes these claims, saying the younger generation “has real serious challenges that I would not wish to have had when I was their age.”
He added:
“Adults have let them down. We’re the first generation that probably collectively feels we had a better life than our children will have.
“So, to the person who says it’s a snowflake generation, just try living 24 hours as a 16-year-old.”
While he accepts that greater awareness of mental health is prompting more people to seek medical help when they are struggling, he argues that young people are experiencing a very real rise in mental health problems.
Although the increase in mental health problems is affecting both boys and girls, the trend is particularly pronounced among girls from the age of 12.
Fonagy said it was “very difficult to be a young woman now in secondary school,” due to sexual aggression from boys and the expectations society places on girls and young women.
There are crossovers to the issue of school attendance, with Fonagy also saying that many children and young people are struggling with anxiety “so powerful people avoid going to school.”
His report also states that the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health issues because of the disruption it brought to the lives of young people.
Tackling poor youth mental health requires action across society
Fonagy says that tackling poor youth mental health will require coordinated action across society, including in education, employment, housing and families, with the support provided to young people requiring significant improvement.
He argued that the NHS was “not fit for purpose,” with 1 in 3 people referred to mental health services still left waiting for support a year later.
Other failures identified include cuts in youth services over the past decade which have left young people with fewer places to socialise and develop a sense of belonging, with Fonagy explaining that they “need to have opportunities for them to participate, because participating in things […] maintains good mental health.”
He also linked the rise in loneliness among young people since 2000 to the rise in the use of smartphones and social media, which have reduced face-to-face contact and disrupted sleep patterns, which can both damage mental health.
His ultimate hope for the review? For “young people to hear that when they feel anxious, depressed or distressed, that it’s a real problem, but a problem we can do something about.”
Training and support for youth mental health
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food safety, mental health, health and social care and more.
An accredited Mindful Employer themselves, FRT’s specialist mental health training courses include Understanding Mental Health, Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace, Managing Stress, Anxiety and Phobias Awareness, Self-Harm Awareness and Suicide Awareness.
They can also provide qualified, approved trainers to deliver accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training courses, including the Adult, Youth and Lite versions.
A trainer from FRT says:
“The mental health and emotional wellbeing of children is a huge concern, and smartphones and social media do seem to be exacerbating the issue. They expose children to constant comparison, negative news cycles, diet and image-related content and even hateful speech.
“It’s really important that we all have an understanding of mental health problems and an awareness of conditions such as anxiety, and that we are familiar with effective support strategies for helping others and managing our own anxiety and general mental health, to safeguard our wellbeing. It’s also important for anyone who works with children and young people to understand how to support them with anxiety and help them to look after their mental health and wellbeing.
“Our Anxiety Awareness training provides learners with an understanding of a range of specific anxiety disorders, how they can be managed and treated, and how to offer support to someone dealing with anxiety. We also offer a range of other mental health training courses, depending on your specific requirements.”
Helpful resources
A brief summary of our mental health training can now be downloaded as an infographic.
We also have a number of free infographics available to download which provide simple tips for helping to manage your anxiety and panic attacks. These include:
You can download our free Guide to Mental Health Training from our website.
You can also download FRT’s free Guide To Supporting Young Minds.
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.
Further support for anxiety and other mental health concerns: