A recent report by the Resolution Foundation found that young people are increasingly likely to suffer from poor mental health, contributing to educational problems, working in lower paid jobs or being unemployed, in stark contrast to twenty years ago when young people had the lowest rates of illness of any age group, on the 26th of February, reports the BBC.
Young people are increasingly likely to have mental health problems, official figures show.
In 2023, one in 20 young people (5%) aged 18 to 24 were out of work because of health conditions, while in 2021-2022, 34% of young people reported mental health problems such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, the report said.
Louise Murphy, Senior Economist at the Resolution Foundation, highlighted the need to focus on the relationship between poor mental health and poor educational results.
“The economic consequences of poor mental health are most severe for young people who do not go to university,
with one in three young people who do not graduate and have mental health problems are currently unemployed,” she was quoted as saying.
The study found that young women are far worse off, being one and a half times more likely to have a mental health problem than young men (41% compared to 26%).
The study found that 79% of 18-24 year olds not working for health reasons have a GCSE qualification or lower, significantly higher than the overall figure of 34% for this age group. In addition, children aged 11-14 with mental health problems are three times more likely to fail their final exams than their healthy peers.
The Resolution Foundation, which campaigns to improve the living standards of people on low and middle incomes,
calls for better mental health support in education.
Jo Bibby, Director of the Health Foundation, said that “the building blocks of health” are aspects such as “good jobs and education” and that ” cross-government action” is needed to stop a “lost generation” developing because of poor mental health.
Although this study is based on a survey in the UK, the results reveal wider societal issues that may be of international concern. The issue of young people experiencing unemployment due to poor mental health is not specific to one country and reflects global trends.
The prevalence of mental health problems among young people, which affect educational outcomes and employment prospects, is an issue that goes beyond borders and the insights from this study could potentially inform discussions aimed at promoting the well-being and productivity of young people globally.
Also read: Week in Lithuania | Prosecutor seeks extension for Stepukonis’ arrest; Kempinski in Vilnius to be replaced by Hilton
Follow us on Facebook and X!