The first definitive guide to youth mental health globally – The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on Youth Mental Health, led by Orygen – has been launched internationally at a research briefing in London.
Hosted by The Lancet at the British Academy with support from the Prudence Trust, the event was the first in a series of international launches for the landmark Commission, sparking important conversations and acknowledging the global consortium of world-leading psychiatrists, psychologists, academics and young people brought together by Orygen to develop the report over a four-year period.
The publication marks a significant step in building the field of youth mental health, mapping the landscape of increasing prevalence of mental ill health and revealing the alarming scale of the global youth mental health crisis. The Commission also makes the economic, moral and political case for urgent investment in prevention, better research, new models of care, and free access to quality youth mental health care for young people everywhere.
Sophia Davis, Senior Editor of The Lancet Psychiatry, opened the event, and an overview of the Commission report was provided by Orygen Executive Director Professor Patrick McGorry, highlighting the need to prioritise new preventive strategies to tackle harmful new megatrends, alongside urgent service reform and investment.
A panel discussion followed, exploring in more depth the recommendations from the Commission and the current state of youth mental health in the UK. Regina, a senior high school student from London spoke from the heart with great clarity and maturity about the challenges young people are facing growing up in present day society and the devastating effects on their mental health and well being.
Commission co-authors Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore from the University of Cambridge and Professor Eóin Killackey from Orygen shared insights from the report’s sections, focusing on the nature of the transition to adulthood and the encouraging global progress in scaling up innovative models of care. Co-author Professor Tamsin Ford from the University of Oxford, and Laura Bunt, CEO of the charity YoungMinds, shared their perspective on the UK context and explored the key actions the Starmer Government could take to stem the rising tide of mental ill-health.
Left to right: Laura Bunt, Prof. Eóin Killackey, Prof. Martin Knapp, Prof. Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, Prof. Tamsin Ford
“We are seeing the same alarming rise in mental ill-health in young people here in the UK as we're seeing in Australia – and globally,” Professor McGorry said.
“We deeply appreciate the support of The Lancet and the Prudence Trust as we launch the Commission's findings in London, and we're heartened by the strong engagement we have experienced during our visit from the new UK government in tackling this growing problem.
“We have hard-won evidence based solutions at hand to respond effectively and rapidly to this crisis. There is no excuse for further delay, so we need to get on with implementing the changes we all know need to happen to safeguard and transform the lives of young people here and around the world.”
The Commission will be launched in New York in November.