Changing minds, changing lives

Innovative approaches to prevent and reduce depression in young people

April 2023

Building on work conducted by YPMH and its collaborators, Changing minds, changing lives sets out innovative, evidence-based approaches to help:

Prevent the development of first-episode depression in children and young people, enable their recovery from depression, and enable them to remain in remission; and
Build communities that are resilient to depression.

The report aims to bring together stakeholders across the mental health ecosystem to:

Build partnerships to develop, pilot, validate and implement innovations that meet real needs;
Collaboratively design and build better ways of working that support young people’s mental health and wellbeing;
Inform priorities for research and for the translation of research into effective, widely applied innovations and policies.

Depression in young people is rising

Depression among children and young people is on the rise. Globally, one in seven young people aged 10–19 experiences a mental disorder, making up 13% of the total burden of disease in this age group.

This growing crisis affects not just mental health, but also physical wellbeing, education, relationships and life outcomes – often extending well into adulthood.

Despite the existence of effective treatments for depression, up to 80% of adolescents do not receive appropriate care, and 50–75% experience a relapse, even after successful treatment.

A new way forward: changing minds, changing lives

Contributing to the need for a new way forward, the Changing minds, changing lives report sets out innovative, evidence-based approaches to help prevent the development of first-episode depression in children and young people, enable their recovery from depression, and allow them to remain in remission.

The report is the result of a collaboration between YPMH, researchers from University of Cambridge Institute for Manufacturing and innovation management specialists from IfM Engage (the IfM’s knowledge transfer company), which was funded by the Aviva Foundation and the Waterloo Foundation.

Peter Templeton, Founder of YPMH, explains “Changing Minds, Changing Lives offers new insights into how depression develops in young people, spanning societal factors, individuals’ options and choices, their underlying conditions and experiences, and psychological factors; and related physiological changes.

“Changing Minds, Changing Lives provides:

a model of vulnerability factors and mechanisms for the development of depression in young people over the life course
opportunities for collaboration on projects with real potential to make a difference.
The report identifies forty-five projects to help enable the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, management and treatment of depression in children and young people
straightforward suggestions for how actors across society can work more effectively to prevent and intervene early to address depression. The actors include individuals and families; the health and social care system; organisations engaging with young people, such as schools and employers; local authorities; solution providers; and policy makers
promising areas for further research that have the potential to underpin impactful innovations in the future.

Taken together, these opportunities can change the current trajectory of depression – and change society for the better.”

Partner perspectives

Alex Christopoulos, Foundation Lead and Senior Strategic Adviser at the Aviva Foundation, emphasised the value of the collaborative approach

By identifying where gaps exist — and how to close them — the report highlights the innovative partnerships needed to improve outcomes for young people. It encourages stakeholders across education, health, policy, community and industry to recognise their role in building more resilient, responsive communities.

The Aviva Foundation is proud to support this important work. The report adds critical insight to how depression in young people is understood, prevented and treated.

Dr Jon Wilson, Consultant Psychiatrist for Central Norfolk Youth Service (Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust), added:

This is a fantastic, timely document. It should be essential reading for any policymaker aiming to tackle our national mental health crisis.

Get involved

YPMH is looking to collaborate with partners on the opportunities outlined in the report. If you are interested in developing, funding, or supporting one of the featured projects, please contact us.