Pandemic, social networks, harassment… young people increasingly victims of mental illness in the United Kingdom

Between 2021 and 2022, when the country was just emerging from the coronavirus epidemic and long periods of confinement, 34% of 18-24 year olds reported symptoms such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. Pheelings Media/Getty Images

Young British people aged 18 to 24 are increasingly suffering from mental illnesses, which largely hinder their entry into the job market, according to a study by the Resolution Foundation think tank published Monday February 26, 2024.

Young people today have "worst mental health of all age groups" and the think tank calls for government measures to combat this scourge and support it to avoid a "lost generation" .

Women are most exposed

Between 2021 and 2022, when the country was just emerging from the coronavirus epidemic and long periods of confinement, 34% of 18-24 year olds reported symptoms such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. A rate significantly above that recorded in 2000 (24%).

Young women are much more exposed to these disorders (41%) than young men (26%), notes the study.

She emphasizes that in addition to the pandemic, social networks and the harassment phenomena that they reinforce play a considerable role in the outbreak of mental illness among young people.

But the study is also keen to point out that "the (very welcome) decline in the stigmatization of mental health problems in recent years means that more young people are today more likely to report their symptoms than in the past".

Young people suffering from mental illness are more often unemployed than others

These difficulties, in addition to their impact on the personal lives of young people who suffer from them, also have harmful consequences on their professional trajectories, their income, and repercussions on employers and the finances of the company. ;State, continues the Resolution Foundation.

The study thus notes that young people suffering from mental illnesses are more often unemployed or hold low-paid jobs more frequently than other young people of the same age.

The number of people with long-term illness leaving the job market is reaching records in the United Kingdom. This inflationary factor at a time when the country is still facing the highest price increases in the G7 also contributes to a shortage of personnel in certain professions, and puts pressure on public finances.