Why Is Mental Illness On The Rise?

In a report published by statistical body NHS Digital, a sixth of the population in England aged between 16 to 64 suffer from mental health problems. 

But what is more worrying is that we are seeing a steady rise in the number of reported cases of patients being diagnosed with a mental health illness. The NHS Digital, Nizagara Online, Mental Health & Wellbeing in England, Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey has been conducted every 7 years since 1993, with the most recent one taking place in 2014. The results from these surveys show there is an evident rise in people having severe symptoms of common mental disorders.

In 2014, 17% of people over the age of 16 had a common mental health problem, which is an increase from 16.2% in 2007.

So why is mental health on the rise? In this article, we'll take a look at some of the possible reasons. 

Smartphone Addiction

In the US, people there are very concerned about the alarming rise of teen mental illness. There have been numerous cases of mass school shootings and there have also been reports of teens suicides and depression. In a study published in Clinical Psychological Science, researchers believe there is one likely cause, and that is excessive media screen time. 

The study conducted a survey of over five hundred thousand American adolescents. It found that those adolescents, especially girls, who spent more time on a digital display device (i.e. smartphone, tablet, etc.) were more likely to have symptoms of depression and have suicidal thoughts than those who spend most of their spare time away from the screen and take part in activities such as sports, reading physical books and socialising.

Although the study does not clarify that excessive screen time is the actual cause for depression, the correlation does give food for thought.

Related Reading: 4 Things to do if a Child has a Smartphone Addiction

Millennials

In the Psychological Bulletin, researchers have found that there is a high level of perfectionism amongst the millennial generation. In the paper, researchers defined perfectionism as "a combination of excessively high personal standards and overly critical self-evaluations.” Researchers have noticed that millennials are setting themselves with high expectations. But with the current economic climate, it is harder for millennials to achieve their goals. 

Also, recent research published in the journal Psychological Medicine that conducted an analysis of 2,000 millennials have discovered that the chance of experiencing depression or anxiety in this generation group doubled when they feel alone.

This research comes after the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that 5% of adults in England reported to feel alone either “often” or “always”, with adults aged between 16 to 24 more likely to experience loneliness than older age groups.

We've previously written about loneliness in the elderly, but loneliness is a big issue overall. Related Learning: Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care (RQF)

Available Treatments

Going back to the NHS Digital survey, the prescription of anti-depressants is still the most common form of treatment.

The survey also revealed that the number of medicines that were prescribed for depression, anxiety, panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive disorder has more than doubled over a period of 10 years.

In 2006, around 31 million antidepressants were dispensed. This figure rose to 65 million in 2016.

There is an active debate whether antidepressants work or not. But a recent report suggests that antidepressants do work but many patients still do not have access to mental health treatments.

The alternative to drugs is talking therapy. There is research which shows talking about your emotions can allow you to process and accept them whilst feeling better at the same time. The NHS has already established waiting time targets for talking therapies to be within 6 weeks.

What Next for Mental Health?

It is evident to say mental health is on the rise. With millennials being particularly more vulnerable to anxiety and depression than any other generation. Whilst it will take time for the NHS to bring in changes to mental health treatments, there some things which we can do now to help reduce the symptoms — spending less time on social media and talking about how we feel.

Thank you for reading! What are your thoughts on mental health? Please let us know in the comments section below.