Overview

• Analyses combine more than 10 million U.S. responses (1993–2024), UK household panels (2009–2023) and nearly two million Global Minds participants across 44 countries (2020–2025).
• Researchers conclude the shift reflects worsening mental health among adolescents and young adults rather than improvements in midlife.
• Among people under 25, young women report higher levels of despair and suicidal tendencies than young men across the international data.
• The study is based on self-reported surveys and does not establish causes, though experts point to factors such as the 2008 downturn, underfunded services, COVID-19 disruptions and pervasive social media use as plausible contributors.
• Spanish figures cited by SEMG show high rates of anxiety or depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation and sleep problems in youth, reinforcing calls to treat youth mental health as a structural policy priority.