Mental health difficulties among young adults have doubled in past decade

New findings from Child of the New Century reveal that more than a fifth (22%) of your generation in England were experiencing a longstanding mental health condition in their early 20s – double the rate experienced by millennials (10%) at a similar age ten years earlier.    

Support and advice 

Find details of helplines, charities, organisations and support groups offering help with mental health on the NHS website. 

The Samaritans are there to help anyone who is struggling to cope. Call 116 123 or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.

What we asked you 

In the Age 23 Survey, we asked you some questions about your recent thoughts and feelings. We also asked about any longstanding mental health conditions, lasting, or expected to last,12 months or more. 

Researchers from UCL compared your responses with information you shared at age 17. They also looked at information collected from a group of millennials, who are taking part in a study similar to Child of the New Century, when they were age 25, around a decade ago. 

What the researchers found 

Across the UK, more than a quarter (28%) of Child of the New Century study members reported high levels of anxiety and a fifth (21%) had high levels of depressive symptoms at age 23. The researchers found that females, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and young people belonging to sexual minority groups were at particular risk of mental ill-health.  

A bigger proportion of people reported having a longstanding mental health condition at age 23 than at age 17 (22% versus 8%). High levels of psychological distress were also more common, increasing from 16% at age 17 to 21% at age 23. 

Lead author, Dr Dominic P. Kelly (UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies) said:  

“Our latest research on the lives of gen Z shows that today’s generation of young adults are reporting heightened mental health difficulties compared to previous generations. We find that many of their difficulties have worsened since their late teens. We also see striking differences for young adults who grew up in disadvantaged homes and for sexual minorities – highlighting an urgent need for targeted interventions to support these potentially vulnerable groups.”  

Poor mental health more common among females 

Females tended to have poorer mental health than males. More than a quarter of females (28%) said they had a longstanding mental condition compared to 15% of males. While high levels of psychological distress were also more common among females than males at age 23 (25% versus 17%), the researchers found that rates had increased more sharply among males since you had been in your late teens.  

Economic disadvantage and mental health  

Young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to experience high levels of psychological distress than those from more advantaged backgrounds (28% versus 19%). They were also more likely to have a longstanding mental health condition (27% compared with 20%). 

Sexual minority young people at greater risk 

The researchers also looked at the mental health experiences of sexual minority participants. For this analysis they focused on sexual orientation specifically, and young people who reported their sexuality as lesbian, gay, bisexual or another non-heterosexual identity. Compared to heterosexual participants, more than twice as many sexual minority young people reported high levels of psychological distress (40% versus 17%) and a longstanding mental health condition (46% versus 17%). 

Why this research matters 

These new findings highlight an increase in mental health difficulties among your generation between your late teens and your early 20s. This is a stage of life when young people typically leave the supervision of the education system and begin to live more independently, perhaps away from the family home. It’s also a period when young people transition from NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to Adult Mental Health Services.  

Commenting on how these changes can leave young people without the support they need, Dr Kelly said:  

“This gap could be filled by increasing partnerships between higher and further education institutions and NHS Mental Health Support Teams. The government’s pledge to increase mental health spending, in addition to the National Youth Strategy to decrease social isolation could also be beneficial. In addition, setting up health support specifically for 18- to 25-year-olds could be a bold new strategy. 

“Holistic approaches that do not rely on “one size fits all” solutions to mental health problems may be needed and would be in line with NHS commitments to person-centred approaches to healthcare.” 

Read the full research report 

Mental health: initial findings from the Millennium Cohort Study at age 23, by Dominic Kelly and Emla Fitzsimons was published by the UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies in May 2026.