A new study has shown that nearly 75% of adolescents in Australia experience clinically significant depression or anxiety symptoms, with the majority of these being chronic. As a result, there is an urgent need for preventive strategies outside of clinical settings to tackle this significant public health issue that the nation is facing.
The research, spearheaded by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in The Lancet Psychiatry, discovered that mental health problems were often chronic. In fact, 64% of the adolescents reported experiencing symptoms three or more times throughout their teenage years.
Dr. Ellie Robson from MCRI stated that the rate and recurrence of depression and anxiety symptoms are cause for concern, given that mental health problems during adolescence can have serious consequences that span an entire lifespan.
“These are striking findings, particularly considering how many young people experienced symptoms over multiple years of the study and how much depression and anxiety symptoms can affect young people’s functioning and can have long-lasting negative health outcomes,” said Dr. Ellie Robson.
For this study, 1,239 children from Melbourne who were part of the Child to Adult Transition Study (CATS) had their symptoms of anxiety and depression tracked annually from the ages of 10 to 18.
Girls were found to be at a higher risk. Specifically, 84% of girls, compared to 61% of boys, had depression or anxiety symptoms at least once during adolescence. Additionally, girls were more likely to have a chronic course, with 72% having a chronic condition compared to 49% of boys.
The onset of anxiety and depression symptoms increased at times that coincided with educational stress, such as the transition from primary to secondary school, exam periods, and the end of compulsory education. Three quarters of the participants who struggled with mental health problems during the COVID-19 years already had symptoms beforehand, highlighting that factors beyond the pandemic stressors were at play.
MCRI Professor Susan Sawyer noted that despite the growing concerns about adolescent mental health, prior to the CATS study, few investigations had comprehensively mapped out the progression of common mental disorders during this crucial life stage.
“To our knowledge, this longitudinal study shows the highest cumulative incidence of clinically significant symptoms of common mental disorders that has ever been reported across adolescence from any country,” she said.
“This high incidence of common mental health problems suggests that even the most well-resourced country would struggle to provide adequate treatment if every young person sought help. Beyond clinical care, we urgently need to fund, develop and evaluate preventive strategies that aim to reduce the onset and chronicity of depression and anxiety.”
Dr. Robson also said, “Adolescents today are growing up in a distinctly different psychosocial landscape than earlier generations, one that is characterized by greater mental health literacy, reduced stigma, and at times the glamorization of mental health problems. Given this context, our next step will be to explore what impact these reported symptoms have on the functioning and health outcomes of contemporary adolescents.”
The GenV study, which is tracking the health and wellbeing of Victorians from birth to old age, will also offer invaluable insights into the health challenges faced by young people, including mental health problems. GenV is one of the world’s largest-ever birth and parent cohort studies, with almost 50,000 babies (over 100,000 newborns, mothers and fathers) having signed up. Recruitment for children born in 2021 – 2022 is still open. More information can be found on the GenV website.
Researchers from The Royal Children’s Hospital, the University of Melbourne, Deakin University, and the University of Bristol also contributed to these findings.
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