How Common Are Mental Health Disorders in Young People and Who Is Most Affected?

What you need to know

• By age 18, about 15.5% of young people had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder
• Mental health disorders were more common among those from low-income families
• Some disorders were more common in males (like ADHD) while others were more common in females (like anxiety)
• Different types of disorders tended to first appear at different ages

Mental health disorders are common among young people

This study looked at how common different mental health disorders were among children, teenagers, and young adults (ages 1-30) in the Basque region of Spain. The researchers analyzed health records for over 600,000 individuals to see how many were diagnosed with various mental health conditions.

They found that by age 18, about 15.5% of young people had been diagnosed with some type of mental health disorder. This increased to about 36.6% by age 30. These numbers show that mental health issues affect a substantial portion of the youth population.

Different disorders appear at different ages

The study found that certain mental health disorders tended to first appear at particular ages:

• ADHD and conduct disorders were most often first diagnosed in childhood (before age 10)
• Anxiety and depression typically first appeared in the teenage years and early 20s
• Psychosis, personality disorders, and substance use disorders were most commonly diagnosed in the 20s

This pattern of when different disorders tend to emerge can help guide when to focus on prevention and early intervention efforts for particular conditions.

Some groups are at higher risk

A key finding was that mental health disorders were not evenly distributed across all groups. Some important differences emerged:

Socioeconomic status

Young people from low-income families had higher rates of nearly all mental health disorders compared to those from middle or high-income families. For example:

• The rate of conduct disorders was about twice as high in the low-income group
• Depression was over 3 times more common in the low-income group
• Psychosis and personality disorders were almost 6 times more frequent in the low-income group

This highlights how social and economic factors can impact mental health risks.

Gender differences

Some disorders were more common in males, while others affected females more often:

More common in males:

• ADHD (2.7 times higher rate than females)
• Conduct disorders (1.6 times higher)
• Substance use disorders (1.4 times higher)
• Psychosis and personality disorders (1.8 times higher)

More common in females:

• Anxiety (1.6 times higher rate than males)
• Eating disorders (2.4 times higher)
• Self-harm (1.5 times higher)

Depression was slightly more common in males overall, but the gender difference varied by socioeconomic status.

Why this matters

Understanding these patterns of mental health disorders can help guide prevention and treatment efforts. Some key implications:

• Early intervention is crucial, since many disorders first emerge in childhood and adolescence
• Extra support and resources may be needed for youth from low-income families, who face higher risks
• Prevention and treatment approaches may need to be tailored differently for males and females for certain disorders
• Efforts to reduce socioeconomic inequalities could have major benefits for youth mental health

How the study was done

This study analyzed health records for over 600,000 individuals aged 1-30 in the Basque region of Spain. The researchers looked at how many people were diagnosed with different mental health conditions between 2003-2018.

They grouped mental health diagnoses into 8 categories:

1. Anxiety
2. ADHD
3. Conduct disorders
4. Depression
5. Psychosis and personality disorders
6. Substance use disorders
7. Eating disorders
8. Self-harm

For each of these categories, they calculated:

• How common the disorders were at different ages
• Differences between males and females
• Differences based on family income level

This allowed them to identify which groups were at highest risk and at what ages different disorders tended to emerge.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths of this study include:

• Very large sample size covering an entire regional population
• Ability to look at trends over time as youth aged from 1 to 30
• Use of actual medical diagnoses rather than self-reported symptoms

Some limitations to keep in mind:

• Only includes disorders that were diagnosed and recorded in medical records - may miss some cases
• Socioeconomic status was based only on one parent’s income
• Findings are from one region of Spain - patterns could differ in other places

Conclusions

• Mental health disorders affect a substantial portion of young people, with about 1 in 6 receiving a diagnosis by age 18
• Youth from low-income families face much higher risks for most mental health disorders
• Males and females show different patterns of risk for various disorders
• Many mental health conditions first emerge in childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood
• Understanding these patterns can help guide prevention, early intervention, and treatment efforts

This study highlights the need for mental health support starting from an early age, with extra attention to at-risk groups. Addressing socioeconomic inequalities and tailoring approaches by gender could help reduce the burden of mental health disorders among youth.