Young Britons Report More Mental Illness, but Functioning Limits Stay Flat

A study by Christoph Henking and Ben Baumberg Geiger found that the share of young Britons reporting a mental illness has risen sharply. Yet the proportion who say a mental health problem limits their daily functioning has barely changed.

The gap hints at a widening difference between how people label their emotional states and the severity of those states. In the U.S., a similar pattern appears. When asked whether someone experiencing typical mood fluctuations – broad happiness with occasional worry, frustration or loss of confidence – has a mental illness, more than half of young Americans said yes. That is up from roughly one-fifth 15 years ago. Older Americans' views have not shifted.