I Don't Want to be Crushed by the Dark Feeling that is Eating People Up.

 

'I am very scared of losing myself and becoming incapable, I don't want to be crushed by the dark feeling that is eating lots of people up'.

 

This is the stark description of what it feels like to be a young person in Britain as the country approaches the first anniversary of the beginning of the pandemic.

 

It was expressed to researchers carrying out ongoing work on the impact the pandemic is having on British teenagers for the Mental Health Foundation working in partnership with Swansea University, MQ Mental Health Research and Leaders Unlocked.

 

The latest report from the project, published at the end of January, shows that teenager's assessment of their own mental health has declined over the Autumn and Winter. In late Summer 10% said their mental health was 'poor'; asked again in November 16% gave a similar response.

 

The latest research shows that out of the 2395 young people aged between 13 and 19 who responded 27% said they felt nervous or anxious nearly every day in the week before being interviewed; 26% said stress had made it hard for them to do concentrate on school work and 32% reported having trouble sleeping.

 

Researchers found that economic factors have had an impact on the mental wellbeing of young people. Those in families where their parents or guardians were unemployed or on low incomes reported more problems than those from more affluent homes.

 

Professor Ann John who led the research for Swansea University said the pandemic had 'exposed the inequalities in our society', adding that the government 'needs to deliver targeted support to those most at risk of developing a mental health problems in the context of their economic circumstances '.

 

Catherine Seymour, head of research at the Mental Health Foundation said the findings were a 'warning about how painful many young people's lives have become during the pandemic '. She added that ' our concern is that the longer the pandemic goes on, the more embedded these problems will become'.

 

In a statement accompanying the launch of the report Mark Rowland, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation said its findings 'add to the urgency of calls to protect young people and their families, preventing their distress from worsening'.

 

The Mental Health Foundation has previously released recommendations for what the government needs to do to address a potential mental health crisis caused by the pandemic.

 

These include creating a Mental Health Recovery and Response Plan that involves all areas of government and draws on successful approaches applied in other countries. They also call for more help for schools to support the mental health of young people and an end to benefits sanctions.

 

Data for the current report was gathered between November and December last year, the Mental Health Foundation has expressed serious concerns that when it gathers fresh evidence later this month, the situation may have become even worse.