A global surge in mental health issues among young people is being driven by intergenerational inequality, unregulated social media, wage theft, insecure employment, and the climate crisis, according to a consortium of health experts. The alarming rise in mental ill health has been described as “dangerous” by the experts, who warn of dire consequences if these underlying factors are not addressed.
Research published in The Lancet Psychiatry on Wednesday, led by Professor Patrick McGorry, executive director of Australia’s Orygen Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, emphasizes the urgent need to tackle these contributing factors. The report highlights that premature death, disability, and lost potential linked to mental health issues have escalated over the past two decades.
“This is the most serious public health problem we’ve got,” said McGorry. He stressed that if such a rapid deterioration in health were observed in other areas like diabetes or cancer, governments would take dramatic actions.
The report reveals that mental health disorders account for at least 45% of the disease burden in people aged 10 to 24, yet only 2% of global health budgets are allocated to mental healthcare. Even in the wealthiest countries, less than half of the mental health needs of young people are met.
McGorry pointed to societal ambivalence towards young people and their needs, exacerbated by economic theories that prioritize individualism and competition, which he argues are fragmenting society and eroding public welfare. “The challenges today’s generation of young people face are unprecedented, devastating, and worse than they’ve ever been,” he added.
The report also addresses the impact of poorly regulated social media platforms, which contribute to political polarization and leave young people feeling increasingly isolated. McGorry called out tech giants for failing to create safe digital environments, noting that “it’s not the young people that are the problem, but the unregulated platforms they are exposed to.”
One young advisor to Orygen, identified only as Li, shared her personal experience with the harmful effects of unregulated online content. Exposed to pornography at the age of 12, Li spoke about the lasting impact it had on her self-esteem and body image.
The commission’s report, co-authored by psychiatrists, psychologists, researchers, and young people, underscores the pervasive risks that constant online engagement poses to youth mental health. It warns that mental ill health has entered a “dangerous phase” and is a major threat to the lives and futures of young people, particularly in high-resource settings.
An analysis led by King’s College London acknowledges the limitations of the report’s findings, noting that much of the evidence comes from high-income countries. This is concerning, given that 90% of children and adolescents live in low-income and middle-income countries, where the burden of mental ill health is highest and the level of unmet need for mental health services can approach 100%.
Carla Drysdale, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), emphasized that all countries, regardless of resources, can take steps to improve mental health prevention and care for young people. She advocated for building a non-specialist workforce that includes school counselors, community-based workers, and peers.
The report also highlights the grim reality that suicide is the leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 44 in Australia, 15 to 19 in New Zealand, and 15 to 39 in India.
Dr. Paul Denborough, a child and youth psychiatrist not involved with the commission’s report, described the findings as “spot on,” noting that greater inequality and marginalization are deeply destructive to society. He criticized government policies for not favoring young people and emphasized the importance of addressing the root causes of distress, rather than merely labeling young people with mental illnesses.
Denborough, who is also a clinical director at headspace, a free or low-cost service for young people in Australia, warned that unless society adopts an intergenerational fairness approach and addresses the underlying causes of youth distress, efforts to address the mental health crisis will merely be “Band-Aiding the problem.”