Are Mortenages Getting Mental Health Diagnoses?

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Mortenages are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems. This is because their lives are objectively more stressful than in the past. Social media has also changed how they interact with each other. And we might just have a better awareness of the problem now. But this could make things look like they're getting much worse when they aren't.

Many teenagers will receive their GCSE results today. These exams can have a significant impact on what they do next, so it can be a stressful time for students, their teachers and parents. Over the past decade, reported mental health problems among teenagers have been on the rise. A recent survey by the NHS statistics agency found rates of probable mental disorders in six- to 16-year-olds reached one in six in 2021. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the academic psychologist Dr Lucy Foulkes about what could be behind this crisis, how schools are trying to tackle it, and how we can help teenagers with their mental wellbeing. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod