The head of a major review into mental health has said ideas of young people being a “snowflake generation” are wrong, saying it is “harder to be young” now.
Prof Peter Fonagy has carried out an independent review into mental health, ADHD and autism diagnoses in the UK.
The review was ordered by then-health secretary Wes Streeting in December last year after he said mental health conditions were being over-diagnosed and too many young people were being “written off.”
But, speaking to the BBC, Fonagy has dismissed the notion of over-diagnosis among young people and accusations that they are a “snowflake generation.”
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Fonagy told the broadcaster that there had been a real rise in mental distress among children and young people, with anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders the most common.
He said it was “harder to be young now,” thanks to factors such as economic and job uncertainty and the rise of social media.
Fonagy said these factors had created a “very toxic” environment for young people to grow up in, adding that he was “in awe” of them for how they have adapted to these pressures.
“It’s harder to be young now,” the 74-year-old said. “I’m in awe of the way they have adjusted to an environment that is far more difficult than I ever had to face.”
Fonagy explained that his review “dismisses the idea of a snowflake generation” and that instead they are a “generation that has real serious challenges that I would not wish to have had when I was their age.”
He continued: “Adults have let them down. We’re the first generation that probably collectively feels we had a better life than our children will have.
“So, to the person who says it’s a snowflake generation, just try living 24 hours as a 16-year-old.”
The review involved more than 100 experts and families with experience of mental health problems, and will conclude that there has been a real rise in mental health issues since the 1990s.
About one in four 16 to 24-year-olds are now struggling with mental health, Fonagy said.
The review is expected to be published this week, and will likely have an impact on the government’s policy going forward on NHS services, welfare support for mental health issues and support for young people not in education, employment or training.