What’s going on with UK teenagers’ mental health?

Loading player...
Many teenagers will receive their GCSE results today. These exams can have a significant impact on what they do next, so it can be a stressful time for students, their teachers and parents. Over the past decade, reported mental health problems among teenagers have been on the rise. A recent survey by the NHS statistics agency found rates of probable mental disorders in six- to 16-year-olds reached one in six in 2021. Madeleine Finlay speaks to the academic psychologist Dr Lucy Foulkes about what could be behind this crisis, how schools are trying to tackle it, and how we can help teenagers with their mental wellbeing. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
24 Aug 2022 English United Kingdom Science · Nature

Other recent episodes

Can a name change transform PCOS outcomes for women?

After more than a decade of global consultation, polycystic ovary syndrome – which affects as many as one in eight women – has been renamed. The condition is caused by high levels of androgens, which can lead to symptoms such as excess hair, weight gain and irregular periods. To understand…
21 May 16 min

Ebola outbreak: what do we know and can it be contained?

An outbreak of Ebola has emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, which has led to nearly 400 confirmed cases and more than 100 deaths. To find out how the outbreak might have begun, what authorities can do to contain it and why this outbreak is causing particular…
18 May 13 min

Hantavirus update, Pentagon’s UFO files, can art slow biological ageing?

Madeleine Finlay sits down with co-host and science editor Ian Sample to discuss three eyecatching stories from the week, including an update on hantavirus. Also on the agenda is the Pentagon’s release of a tranche of never before seen documents relating to UFOs, and a study looking at the link…
14 May 21 min

Trump is backing psychedelic research: here’s why

Last month President Trump signed an executive order designed to fast track both research and access to psychedelic drugs as treatments for mental health illnesses. The most prominent in the order was ibogaine, a drug derived from the root bark of a West African shrub, that has shown some promise…
12 May 17 min