(BBC) – One in five children and young people between the ages of eight and 25 in England are now thought to have a mental health disorder, according to official figures. Unsurprisingly, the NHS is struggling to keep up. In 2024 Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, described the situation as “shocking” and said the system was in “crisis”.

What’s less clear is why this is happening now.

Plenty of explanations have been offered by experts: the pandemic, the cost of living and the advent of social media have all placed additional pressures on the generation now starting out. But some experts in the field of mental health have raised another question: that is, is there really a mental health crisis or are young people simply not resilient enough? (Read More)