Young people's mental distress is real, according to the head of a new review in the UK

An independent review into mental health has found a rise in mental distress among children and young people, with anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders among the most common issues.

Head of the review, Professor Peter Fonagy, says that accusations that young people are overly sensitive are wrong. He says it is now “harder to be young” due to challenges such as economic and employment uncertainty and problems caused by social media.

Some are unsure about the new data as some of the sources rely on self-reporting. There is also an argument which says that the higher mental distress numbers could be because of changing attitudes and greater awareness, so more people feel able to report their problems.

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