A few weeks ago the teenage daughter of a friend of a good friend of our took her own life. I don’t know the circumstances, but know she was a troubled child.

Something is undermining young people’s mental health, especially that of girls. A study conducted by Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, looked at four studies covering 7 million people, ranging from teens to adults in the US. Among her findings: high school students in the 2010s were twice as likely to see a professional for mental health issues than those in the 1980s; more teens struggled to remember things in 2010-2012 compared to the earlier period; and 73% more reported trouble sleeping compared to their peers in the 1980s. These so-called “somatic” or “of-the-body” symptoms strongly predict depression. Children are being diagnosed with higher levels of attention deficit hyperactivity and everyone from 6-18 is seeking more mental health help and more medication.

Meanwhile, according to The Guardian (25.03.16), British teenagers are third from the bottom of the league of 42 countries in terms of unhappy young people, only beaten in misery by kids in Macedonia and Poland. They feel they are under stress at school, are often unwell, have a lot of mental and emotional problems, drink too much alcohol, and are under pressure through social media owing to their looks or their weight.

Tomorrow I will address the causes.