Young people's mental health review delayed until October as chair rejects snowflake label

An independent review into young people's mental health, ADHD and autism has been delayed until October. The review was ordered nine months ago by the then health secretary, Wes Streeting, who said in a TV interview that young people were being over-diagnosed and written off. More than 100 experts and people with experience of mental health problems have taken part.

Professor Peter Fonagy, the psychologist leading the review, gave an exclusive interview before the publication date changed. He rejected accusations that young people are a snowflake generation. He said the rise in mental distress among children and young people is real and that the challenges they face are more severe than those faced by previous generations. He said adults have let them down and that this may be the first generation that does not feel it will have a better life than its parents.

He pointed to four main reasons why he thinks this generation has it harder:

• Uncertainty about jobs, housing and money.
• Comparisons with each other at school, college and on social media.
• Fewer places for real-life interaction away from phones.
• Poor recovery, including not enough sleep or exercise.

The review is expected to say that mental health problems among 16 to 24 year olds have risen since the 1990s. Around one in seven were struggling then, compared with closer to one in four now. Anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders are among the problems reported. Treatment access has risen by 50% over the last five years, but a third of people now wait more than a year. The review is also expected to warn that the NHS is over-medicalising mental health problems and turning too quickly to antidepressants.

Professor Fonagy wants help to be available when people need it, not just from the NHS but in education, at work and across society. He is expected to call for a cross-government approach. Some GPs disagree with his emphasis. In a questionnaire last year, 750 GPs answered and almost 450 said mental health was being over-diagnosed. Some said young adults were less resilient, less able to cope and over-aware of their mental health.

Young people who spoke about their experiences described feeling hopeless, being bullied, struggling at school, homelessness, long waits for help and feeling they were not sick enough to be treated. One mental health ambassador said early intervention saved his life but the system is not fit for purpose. Others said they wanted authorities to act on the review's recommendations rather than just acknowledge their distress.

In a political discussion, contributors said young people were having a rough deal and called for a cross-party approach. One said spending on special educational needs had doubled since 2015, with local authorities spending 12 billion a year, and warned that a separate SEND crisis must be addressed. Another welcomed new mental health hubs and 8,000 new mental health workers, but said one in six young people in their constituency did not have a job. A third said climate breakdown, social media, loneliness and isolation were adding to young people's distress.