Survey Shows High Levels Of Mental Health Difficulties Among Young Adults

The mostly (64%) of young adults successful Britain opportunity they person knowledgeable intelligence wellness difficulties, pinch a 3rd (32%) expecting to request support successful nan coming year, according to polling commissioned from YouGov by UCL's Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing.

The academics opportunity nan findings item nan request for much investigation and support into early involution and prevention of intelligence wellness disorders.

The study of group aged 16-25 successful Britain recovered that two-thirds (64%) of young adults study having knowledgeable aliases presently experiencing intelligence wellness difficulties. This is highest amongst 20-21-year-olds, wherever 40% opportunity they are presently experiencing difficulties and a further 31% opportunity they person successful nan past. Women are much apt to opportunity they person knowledgeable intelligence wellness difficulties (72% vs 56% among men).

Around a 3rd (32%) of those surveyed said they are apt to request intelligence wellness support successful nan adjacent 12 months.

When asked what negatively affects their intelligence health, respondents cited a wide scope of factors. School/college/university and financial pressures were cited astir often, by 17% and 16% of respondents, respectively - though those who are neither successful activity nor acquisition are much apt to opportunity they are presently experiencing intelligence wellness difficulties (47% compared to 32% of nan full sample). UCL researchers person antecedently identified that world unit aliases proximity to exams is linked pinch intelligence wellness issues among young people.

Professor Essi Viding (UCL Psychology & Language Sciences), UCL Grand Challenges Pro-Vice Provost (Mental Health & Wellbeing), said: "Our study findings align pinch investigation indicating that it is communal for young group to acquisition intelligence wellness difficulties. These findings may, successful part, bespeak accrued consciousness and improved recognition of intelligence wellness problems.

"We request much investigation to understand really we tin forestall intelligence wellness problems from emerging and really we tin support those pinch nan astir superior needs to entree speedy and effective evidence-based support. Such support tin see school-based societal and affectional skills interventions targeted astatine young group pinch mild to mean intelligence wellness challenges, thing that my group is presently researching. For much superior intelligence wellness challenges some psychological and pharmacological treatments whitethorn beryllium appropriate."

Most group (86%) who had knowledgeable intelligence wellness difficulties opportunity they had sought support, though men are much apt than women to opportunity they had not approached anyone for proposal aliases thief (16% vs 7%).

Amongst those who person knowledgeable intelligence wellness difficulties, group were mostly much apt to activity informal sources of thief specified arsenic their friends (53%) and family (47%), complete master help. Among those who had sought support, 88% supported by friends said they recovered it helpful, and 70% who were supported by family members said they recovered it helpful.

People who had been helped by a backstage therapist (74%) were apt to find nan support helpful, but nan restitution ratings for NHS therapists (56%) aliases GPs (53%) were little favourable. Of those who were sufficiently unwell to person a referral to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), 69% recovered it unhelpful. However, nan academics opportunity this whitethorn bespeak nan level of severity of intelligence wellness symptoms knowledgeable by those who are being referred to CAMHS aliases require NHS support.

Professor Argyris Stringaris (UCL Psychiatry), who is besides a UCL Grand Challenges Pro-Vice Provost (Mental Health & Wellbeing), commented: "More activity is needed to measure nan severity and request that arises retired of young people's reported problems, and to cautiously see prevention and early involution strategies. It is besides apt that different groups and different communities study problems differently, and information and involution should beryllium tailored accordingly. The word "mental wellness difficulties" itself is simply a rather wide and tin encompass a assortment of experiences, not each of which request to magnitude to intelligence illness.

"Also, whilst immoderate interventions person proven efficacy, not each interventions will beryllium adjuvant to everybody and immoderate whitethorn moreover beryllium harmful. Refining nan devices that will let america to foretell who needs support for intelligence wellness and of what type is acutely needed."

Professor Stringaris and colleagues published a study this summertime uncovering that talking therapy offered by nan NHS for group pinch slump aliases worry appears to beryllium little effective for group aged 16-24 than those aged 25-65.

While intelligence wellness treatments specified arsenic talking therapies are effective for young people, we recovered that NHS Talking Therapies are little effective for them than they are for older people, truthful we request to find amended ways to tailor treatments to young people.

It's clear that cross-disciplinary activity is required to tackle these problems, and UCL is pioneering these approaches, exemplified by our colleague's activity successful designing and piloting a caller societal prescribing pathway for young group receiving intelligence wellness support, and different colleagues who activity connected nan improvement of pharmacological treatments astatine UCL."

Professor Argyris Stringaris, UCL Psychiatry

All figures, unless different stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,545 adults aged 16-25. Fieldwork was undertaken betwixt 13th June - 7th July 2025. The study was carried retired online. The figures person been weighted and are typical of each young GB adults (aged 16-25).

The polling was commissioned by UCL's Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing, an inaugural that seeks to amended intelligence wellness and wellbeing done transformative cross-disciplinary research, believe and partnerships for prevention and early intervention.