Young people’s mental health is a major and complex challenge. Mental health conditions can affect education, relationships, physical health and future opportunities – and many mental health difficulties begin during childhood or adolescence.
At the same time, our understanding of mental health is changing. Research is showing us that mental health is influenced by many interacting factors, from biology and brain development to sleep, nutrition and the environments in which people live.
We need to turn this growing knowledge into better ways of preventing mental ill health, identifying difficulties earlier and improving outcomes for young people.
That means connecting research, innovation and implementation – and making sure promising ideas work in the real world.
children and young people aged 8 – 25 in England had a probable mental disorder in 2023.
of mental disorders begin before age 18
the odds of adult depression among people who experienced depression during adolescence
To make a lasting difference, we need to understand why mental health difficulties develop, what can help prevent them, and how effective approaches can be put into practice.
There is no single cause of mental ill health. Research is helping us understand how influences that have traditionally been considered separately interact throughout childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.
Brain development, genetics, hormones, immune function and communication between the gut and brain can all influence mental health.
Emotions, thinking patterns, coping strategies, sense of control and experiences can influence how young people respond to challenges.
Sleep, physical activity, diet and other everyday behaviours can interact with biological and psychological processes.
Relationships, belonging, education, employment and socioeconomic circumstances can shape mental health.
The wider environments in which young people live, including housing, access to resources and exposure to environmental stressors, can also influence mental health.
These factors do not act independently. Understanding how they interact is an important part of developing better approaches to prevention, early identification, management and treatment.
Young people are not equally exposed to these influences or equally able to access support. Social and economic inequalities can increase exposure to risks, reduce access to protective resources and contribute to differences in mental health outcomes.
We have an expanding body of research about mental health. However, important gaps remain between what we know and what happens in practice.
Research into mental health spans many disciplines. Findings from neuroscience, psychology, nutrition and public health, for example, may not always be considered together.
An approach that shows promise in research may face different challenges when introduced into everyday settings. It needs to be practical, acceptable and sustainable for the people and organisations using it.
Understanding an association or mechanism is an important step, but it does not necessarily tell us what to do about it. We need to identify promising opportunities, develop ideas and test whether they can improve outcomes.
Bridging these gaps requires closer connections between research, innovation and practice.
At YPMH, we help create these connections. We bring together research, lived experience and expertise from different disciplines and sectors to identify promising opportunities for preventing and reducing mental ill health in young people.
Using our Understand : Innovate : Implement methodology, we help translate knowledge into practical approaches that are developed with implementation in mind, tested in real-world settings and refined to support successful adoption.
Our focus is on finding new and better ways to prevent mental ill health, intervene earlier and more effectively and improve outcomes for young people.
