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Nearly half of young women are living with mental illness, with emotional problems such as depression and anxiety, according to the most common figures in England.
The official NHS report found that young women aged 17 to 19 were twice as likely as young men to have problems, with 23.9% reporting a disorder.
Problems are less common in younger age groups, but they increase, albeit slowly.
In children aged 5 to 15 years, one in nine had a disorder, compared to one in ten when the exam was performed 13 years ago.
The results are based on a survey of more than 9,000 young people.
The results were collected by the NHS Digital Statistics Agency and evaluated by experts to try to ensure that only the conditions that can be diagnosed are included.
Dr. Bernadka Dubicka of the Royal College of Psychiatrists said the number of young women with problems was "alarming".
She added that pressure on her body image, stress caused by exams and the negative effects of social media can all affect girls disproportionately, while they are also more likely to be disproportionately affected. To be victims of abuse and sexual assault.
"We can only speculate, we still do not understand all this, all we know is that we see more girls in our clinics.
"We have to make sure the services are available to them."
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This comes as the Children's Commissioner of England warned that there was a "vast gap" in NHS mental health support.
Anne Longfield's report criticized the slow progress in improving community-based specialized services for children.
She stated that waiting times were too long and she feared that numbers would be rejected by the services in some areas.
Nearly half of teens in late adolescence with mental health issues mutilated themselves or attempted suicide. For the youngest, it was about a quarter.
"I've missed so much of my life"
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Emma Blezard, 18, says her mental health problems stole her adolescence.
She began experiencing difficulties at the age of 13, suffering from anxiety and panic attacks before developing a eating disorder.
It was a year before she spoke to her parents. She ended up having suicidal thoughts and was hospitalized at some point.
"I have missed so much of my life because of this illness – I have lost friends, missed birthdays, vacations.
"I would like to be able to do things again."
Even when she was receiving treatment, she felt that she did not deserve it.
"I became very isolated.At school, I spent a lot of time outside of classes with the nurse.It was very difficult."
She has traveled the country for treatment and says that she is still struggling, although her problems are easier to manage now.
"I do not think they'll ever leave."
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Are social media responsible for the problems faced by young people?
It's perhaps a factor, even if it's hard to say.
The NHS Digital Review found that children aged 11 to 19 with a mental health problem were more likely to use social media.
Nearly a third of them spent more than four hours a day on social media.
Those who did not have a mental health problem were two to three times less likely to spend as much time doing it.
Youth with mental health problems were more likely to say that their mood was affected by the number of "likes" that they had and that they were also more likely to compare themselves to others on social networks.
The report also mentioned the problem of cyberbullying.
But if this suggests that social media can have a negative impact, it does not prove that it is to blame.
People with mental health issues may be more likely to end up with this problem than to cause their problems in the first place. Indeed, they could even use social media to get help.
Teen is the key
The majority of reported problems, especially among the older ones, are related to emotional disorders.
These are on the rise, while the other disorders examined – behavior and hyperactivity – have remained relatively stable over time.
Dr. Michael Bloomfield, a psychiatrist at University College London, said, "Adolescence is a crucial time for the development of a person, especially when our brain is undergoing major changes. during our adolescence.
"Since it's better to be safe than sorry, it's really important for all of us in society to understand why and to start reducing the rates of mental disorders among young people."
How many children are getting help?
The NHS treats only a fraction of young people who have problems.
The NHS's analysis of the NHS figures from 2017 to 18 shows that 325,000 children were treated by community services, while another 5,000 were hospitalized.
It's less than 3% of the population.
The figures show that more than one-third of youth referred to community services were denied.
This could be due to the fact that their needs were not important enough to need help and that they could be addressed through other services, such as those provided at the clinic. School or by charitable organizations and social assistance teams of the council.
But Longfield said she feared children would be fired because the services simply did not have the time to see them.
His report also raised concerns about waiting times. Just under half of those treated after a recommendation in 2017-18 had waited more than six weeks. The average waiting time was nearly two months.
What must happen?
The Commissioner believes that children's services are underfunded. About 700 million books are devoted to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and support for eating disorders.
In comparison, services for adults receive 15 times more, while children represent 20% of the population.
The commissioner said that an additional 1.7 billion pounds should be invested to ensure that services for children are online.
She said it could help pay for more early help by funding NHS counselors in schools, for example.
Emma Thomas, executive director of the charity organization Young Minds, said that there was a lack of support for the children.
She stated that the charity was receiving "calls every day" about children who were waiting for help or were denied help.
"This can have devastating consequences: in some cases, children begin to self-destruct, become suicidal or drop out of school while waiting for the help they need."
She agreed that early intervention and better funding were essential.
What does the government do?
NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Services have made improving children's mental health care a priority.
In fact, the Commissioner 's report indicated that investments were increasing and that new services and strict access objectives had helped to tackle the eating disorders.
Last month, in his budget, the Chancellor announced that at least 2 billion pounds out of the additional 20 billion allocated to the NHS by 2023 would be spent on mental health.
A new four-week goal for access to CAMHS will also be tested soon and the NHS England has promised that 70,000 more children will have access to support in the coming years.
National Mental Health Director Claire Murdoch said the magnitude of the problem identified by NHS Digital showed the importance of "strengthening" access to services.
She said the NHS's long-term plan, to be published soon, would spell out more details about future investments.
"All those who work with children and young people, whether they be from the public, private or voluntary sector, must play their part if we are to protect the mental well-being of young people."
Ministers are also lobbying social media companies to do more to combat Internet bullying and aggressive online behavior.
One option being considered is a new regulator for the Internet.
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