Young women at 'highest mental health risk'

Young women at 'highest mental health risk'

Young women are the highest risk group for mental health problems, according to new data released by NHS Digital.

One in five women reported a common mental disorder such as anxiety and depression in 2014 compared to one in eight men, according to the survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Young women also have high rates of self-harm, post traumatic stress disorder and bipolar.

Mental health charities said the figures showed "nothing had improved".

One in six adults in England has a common mental disorder (CMD), according to the survey.

The National Study of Health and Wellbeing has been carried out every seven years since 1993. This latest report is based on research on 7,500 members of the public.




The 2014 data showed the gender gap in mental illness had become most pronounced in young people, and has increased since the first survey.
In 1993, 19% of 16-to-24 year old women surveyed reported symptoms of CMD compared to 8% of men of the same age.
In a snapshot, 26% of women aged between 16-24 reported symptoms of common mental disorders in one week, compared to 9% of men in the same age group.
More women in every age group reported symptoms in one week compared to men in the same age group.
The second highest rate was in women aged 45-54 where 23% reported symptoms in a week - compared to 13% of men.
Self-harm
In 2014, CMD symptoms were almost three times as commonly reported by women of that age range - 26% compared to 9% in men.
Post-traumatic stress disorder was seen in 12.6% for young women compared with 3.6% of men aged between 16 and 24.
CMD rates have steadily increased in women and remained largely stable in men, since the last survey in 2007.
Women were also more likely than men to report severe symptoms - 10% of women surveyed reported severe symptoms compared to 6% of men.
The proportion of the population reporting self-harming was 6% up from 4% in 2007 and 2% in 2000.
In 2014, one in five 16-to-24 year old women (25.7%) reported having self-harmed at some point.
That is about twice the rate for men in this age group (9.7%) and women aged 25-to-34 (13.2%).
The data showed a fifth of adults (20.6%) reported that they had thought of taking their own life at some point.
This was also more common in women (22.4%) than men (18.7%).
The reports authors point out that this is the first cohort to come of age in the context of social media and they have called for more research about its impact.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37504679


This is really worrying. What on earth is happening that is causing such distress in young women?