depressed girls
© Alamy StockThe study, undertaken by the Department for Education, involved in-depth interviews with thousands of teenagers aged 14 and 15

More than one in three teenage girls now suffer from anxiety or depression.

A study of 30,000 pupils found the number of girls with poor mental health rose by 10 per cent in the past decade - and they were twice as likely as boys to report symptoms.

The research also found teenagers from more affluent backgrounds were more likely to suffer from anxiety or depression than the less well-off.

Experts called for action to help pupils, saying the figures were strong evidence of a 'slow-growing epidemic' of mental health issues in schools.

Some suggested global recession could be making youngsters more stressed.

Many pupils said that pressure to achieve was hitting their self-confidence, and that they did not feel in control of their own futures.

Other experts pointed to social media for the rise in depression and anxiety, saying it stopped children 'switching off' after school.
//www.sott.net/article/326186-Depression-or-anxiety-strikes-one-in-three-teenage-girls

The study, undertaken by the Department for Education and reported in The Times, involved in-depth interviews with thousands of teenagers aged 14 and 15.

It was based on a similar study carried out in 2005, allowing researchers to spot trends over time.

They found that 37 per cent of girls had three or more symptoms of psychological distress, for example feeling worthless or unable to concentrate. This compared to 15 per cent of boys. Depression and anxiety in boys had actually fallen since 2005, the study said.

Pupils with parents educated to degree level were found to be 5 per cent more likely to experience mental distress than those without.
lady on ipad
© Alamy StockSome experts pointed to social media for the rise in depression and anxiety, saying it stopped children ‘switching off’ after school
The researchers suggested some teenage girls' problems may be down to 'pushy parents' or 'peer pressure', but that there were likely to be many other reasons for the rise.

They also found a decline in 'risky behaviour' exhibited by teenagers, with only 12 per cent saying they drank alcohol - compared to 30 per cent in 2005.

Drug-taking was also found to have halved, while truancy reports fell 21 per cent to 11 per cent. The researchers wrote: 'While girls were already displaying greater levels of psychological distress than boys in 2005 it is striking that their situation worsened between 2005-14.'

Regarding the class divide, the study said: 'There may be some ways in which having lower social status may be associated with lower levels of expectation for school success and lower levels of associated pressure.'

Marjorie Wallace, chief executive of the mental health charity Sane, said she had been contacted by headteachers worried about their pupils, adding: 'There definitely does seem to be something happening - it's a slow growing epidemic.' She said that over the period covered by the report, the number of under-16s being admitted to hospital for self-harm had risen by 52 per cent.

A Government spokesman said it was putting a record £1.4billion into transforming mental health support for young people.