The mental health problem is worsening, as a recent study has shown half the global population will have a mental health disorder by the time they reach 75 years old.
Scientists at The University of Queensland and Harvard Medical Schoollooked at the data of more than 150,000 adults from 29 countries, publishing their research in The Lancet.
They discovered more than half suffered from depression, anxiety, alcohol abuse or other mental health conditions.
Professor Ronald Kessler from Harvard Medical School told The Evening Standard there needs to be better mental health support for young people to stop the problem spiralling.
“While many scalable interventions for prevention and treatment have been developed, allocation is often suboptimal,” he stated.
The professor noted the findings show how to target efforts to make the most of this support.
For instance, it revealed the peak age of the first onset for mental health problems is 15 years old.
Professor Kessler commented that services should be developed to detect and treat mental health problems promptly, while public health interventions, therapist appointments and resources should be allocated to those most at risk.
This comes after the London School of Economics Care Policy and Evaluation Centre reported that adolescent mental health challenges could cost the NHS £630,000 per year for GP services when they hit adulthood.
Therefore, it is essential to resolve mental health problems as they arise to avoid these sky-high bills, which could cripple the health service in the future.
If they were given access to therapists at a young age, this could mean reducing the demand of GP services in years to come, with many adults making appointments to see their doctor due to anxiety and worries about their health.