In 2023, NHS England reported that one in five children and young people has a probable mental health disorder. But why has there been this explosion and what can be done about it? Ahead of her public lecture on the topic, Stella Chan, Professor of Psychology, argues that the key to improved wellbeing for young people lies in preventive measures and community support.
Mental health has become one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time, affecting millions of lives and straining healthcare systems worldwide. In England, the statistics paint a sobering picture. One in four of us will experience at least one mental health illness in our lifetime, with 75% of these illnesses beginning before the age of 18. Perhaps most alarmingly, it typically takes around 10 years for individuals to seek help, and suicide remains the leading cause of youth mortality. While current treatments have proven effective, they’re simply not enough to address the scale of this crisis. We need a multi-faceted approach that considers not just clinical interventions, but also preventive measures and community support.
Mental health illnesses are not just about psychology and the brain, but also the society we live in. Social factors can hugely impact our mental wellbeing. My research explores how theories of mental health, interventions and our real-life experiences interact – they all have a part to play in helping us to comprehend this mental health crisis and develop solutions.
For instance, my team’s Emotional Vulnerability in Adolescents study aims to understand what may be triggering increasing symptoms of depression and anxiety in the critical teenage years. Our latest findings, which are based on five years’ worth of data collected from 425 adolescents in 12 secondary schools, show that mood difficulties gradually increase from age 12 and peak around age 15, particularly in girls.
Among the wide range of biological, psychological and social factors that we assessed, stress, eating disorder risk, negative thinking style, and physical inactivity appear to play a particularly important role in predicting negative mood states and lower wellbeing over time. The key clinical implication is that mental health interventions need to take into account multiple factors and address underlying psychological processes to sustain long term wellbeing, rather than merely aiming for a temporary relief of symptoms. In doing so, it is of paramount importance that we build evidence-based interventions that are engaging and appealing to young people, and that resonate with their everyday life.
A treat for the eyes – and the brain
One of our most successful initiatives has been Project Soothe. What might initially appear as simply a collection of peaceful photographs has proven to be a powerful therapeutic tool. Across a series of experiments, my team has found that viewing 25-30 nature-themed images can significantly improve mood in adults, young people, autistic individuals and carers. The project has grown beyond our expectations, with over 800 images submitted from the public and rated across more than 40 countries.
Public engagement has been a key part of Project Soothe since its conception. After running a series of workshops to teach young people about mental health, we had around 70 sign up as Young Citizen Scientists to help us research and design wellbeing tools. During these sessions, they developed a number of original ideas, from comic books to short videos, sleeping pods and pencil cases. Now, in addition to viewing Project Soothe images in our online gallery or app, we can experience their soothing effect through many different creative outputs, thanks to our Young Citizen Scientists.
Our team is currently delivering specialised training sessions around the world – from Wokingham to Hong Kong – to further develop Project Soothe as a mental health resource. Through this training, we aim to equip teachers, trauma-informed artists and nurture assistants, among others, with the tools and knowledge to implement Project Soothe themselves.
Support tools on your back
Mental health can affect us at any time in our life. But is there a time in our early life which has a particularly significant impact on our wellbeing?
Research has shown that the transition from Primary to Secondary School can be extremely challenging for young people. They experience a big life change, which affects their lifestyles and social surroundings. With the support of the Charlie Waller Trust and Jasmine Foundation, we developed the Resilience Rucksacks Project to help teenagers manage this change. Drawing inspiration from Scotland’s Baby Boxes initiative (which I experienced firsthand when my daughter was born in Edinburgh), we filled our Resilience Rucksacks with support tools that would help with early prevention of mental health difficulties.
After consulting a vast amount of research literature and gathering inputs from 200 young people, we identified four key themes which would be represented in the rucksacks: Sleep, Physical Activity (Movement), Social Relationships (Friendship) and Self-Compassion.
Through 19 workshops with young people and artists, we created eight wellbeing tools to promote these themes. These were then distributed through 30 “Resilience Fairs” across eight schools in Reading, Wokingham, Berkshire, and Oxfordshire. During the fairs, our team engaged with students through fun activities to increase their knowledge of these four important themes for resilience and wellbeing. Students could personalise their rucksacks with stickers of aspirational quotes, keyrings, and bookmarks and origami sheets which signposted free mental health resources. Feedback from the fairs was overwhelmingly positive, with evaluation data showing significant improvements in psychological resilience and wellbeing.
Looking forward
As I continue this work, I’m both concerned and hopeful. While the statistics on youth mental health are alarming, I’ve seen firsthand how innovative, community-based interventions can make a real difference. The enthusiasm with which young people have embraced Project Soothe and the Resilience Rucksack Project shows that when we provide the right tools and support, we can help build resilience and promote positive mental health outcomes.
This blog was written in collaboration with Megan Devereux, Research Assistant at the Charlie Waller Institute.