Category: Young People

NHE: Report Highlights Deepening Mental Health Crisis

A recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) reveals a significant decline in mental health across England and Wales since the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, over half of the 900,000 increase in disability benefit claims among working-age adults is due to mental health issues. Additionally, ‘deaths of despair’—including those from alcohol, drugs, and suicide—have risen by 24%, resulting in approximately 3,700 additional deaths in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels. The report also highlights a 36% increase in individuals accessing NHS mental health services since 2019, with antidepressant prescriptions up by 12%.

Read the full article: National Health Executive

New Books for Our Teenage Collection!

Looking for something fresh to read? We’ve just added some fantastic new books to our Teenage Collection! Whether you need advice on mental health, body image, social media, or identity, these books have got you covered. From Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys to Social Anxiety Relief for Teens, there’s something for everyone.

Come check them out at the library!

Children’s Mental Health Week 2025

This Children’s Mental Health Week (3–9 Feb), this week encourages young people to express themselves and be heard. Libraries offer safe spaces and books that support mental wellbeing, helping children feel understood and empowered.

Let’s help them find their voices and make a difference!

Public Health Updates

Current Awareness

Source: KnowledgeShare

Cold at home: How winter cost of living pressures continue to impact older people.
Age UK; 2024.

(This report from highlights concerns about the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on older people who are not receiving support from the benefits system. Many of these people are likely to be eligible for support but will still be missing out for a variety of reasons. Government figures show that an estimated 800,000 pensioners are eligible for Pension Credit but are missing out on this much-needed support.)
Freely available online

Alcohol dependence prevalence in England.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); 2024.

(Estimates of the number of alcohol dependent adults in each local authority in England. Health commissioners can use this information to: estimate the number of alcohol dependent adults in their area and the number who need specialist treatment; and plan and improve alcohol treatment services.)
Freely available online

We’ve only just begun: Action to improve young people’s mental health, education and employment.
Resolution Foundation; 2024.

(This publication – the final report of a three-year research programme funded by the Health Foundation – explores the relationship between young people’s mental health and work outcomes, and how policy-makers should respond. It finds that young people are now more likely to experience a common mental disorder (CMD) than any other age group – a complete reversal compared with two decades ago, when they were least likely to.) Freely available online

Mental health 360.
The King’s Fund; 2024.

(Mental health 360 aims to provide a ‘360-degree’ review of mental health care in England. It focuses on eight core areas including prevalence, access and the mental health workforce.)
Freely available online

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Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Source: KnowledgeShare

We’ve only just begun: Action to improve young people’s mental health, education and employment.
Resolution Foundation; 2024.

(This report is the culmination of a three-year research programme exploring the relationship between the mental health and work outcomes of young people. The research was funded by the Health Foundation and is part of their broader Young people’s future health inquiry. It finds that more than 1 in 3 (34%) of young people aged 18–24 reported symptoms that indicated they were experiencing a common mental health disorder like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.)

Cold at home: How winter cost of living pressures continue to impact older people and what more needs to happen to support them.
Age UK; 2024.

(This report highlights concerns about the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on older people who are not receiving support from the benefits system. Many of these people are likely to be eligible for support but will still be missing out for a variety of reasons. Government figures show that an estimated 800,000 pensioners are eligible for Pension Credit but are missing out on this much-needed support.)

Reducing the harm from illegal drugs.
House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts; 2024.

(In response to Dame Carol Black’s review in December 2021, the From Harm to Hope strategy was launched. Two years on from when this strategy’s implementation began, overall progress has been mixed. This report outlines progress made and gives recommendations on next steps for the cross-departmental Joint Combating Drugs Unit in implementing this strategy.)

What patients want: a vision for the NHS in 2030.
Healthwatch England; 2024.

(Using experiences of care from more than 10 million people collected over the past 10 years, Healthwatch sets out where they think the NHS should be in six years and how it can get there.)

Smoking profile: March 2024 update.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); 2024.

(An overview of the extent of smoking, smoking-related harm and the measures being taken to reduce this harm at a local level in England.)

Health hubs: A community-centred prevention initiative to address health inequalities.
NHS Providers; 2024.

(Prevention is a crucial part of the NHS’s approach to improving population health and tackling health inequalities. One community-centred prevention initiative to address health inequalities is the creation of health hubs. This long read explores what health hubs are, how they can improve access for groups facing health inequalities, their broader social and economic benefits, and the role of trust leaders in their development.)

If you would like to receive personalised updates regarding your own interests, please complete the following form and send it to our team: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk

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Public Health

Current Awareness

Source: KnowledgeShare

Financial wellbeing: applying All Our Health.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); 2022.
(Evidence and information for health and care professionals and the wider workforce to promote the benefits of financial wellbeing. The resource illustrates how money can impact on wellbeing and identifies how frontline health and care staff can use their trusted relationships with patients, families and communities to promote the benefits of financial wellbeing. It also recommends important actions that managers and staff holding strategic roles can take.)

Young Black Men and Mental Health Programme.
Islington Council; 2022.
(This pioneering and innovative programme is designed to improve mental health wellbeing, and wellbeing life outcomes for young Black men. The video promotes the Barbers Project, which is part of Islington Council’s larger Young Black Men and mental health programme.)

A Torn Safety Net: How the cost of living crisis threatens its own last line of defence.
Theos; 2022.
(A report on the effect the cost of living crisis has had on social and economic security. This report is the culmination of a year–long project exploring how economic and social insecurity is affecting churches, faith groups and local communities.)

Child and maternal health statistics.
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID); 2022.
(Statistics to support improvements in decision making when planning services for pregnant women, children, young people and families. Change made: Added the following publications: ‘Child development outcomes at 2 to 2 and a half years: annual data 2021 to 2022’, ‘Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth: annual data 2021 to 2022’ and ‘Health visitor service delivery metrics experimental statistics: annual data 2021 to 2022’.)

Why can’t I get care? Older people’s experiences of care and support.
Age UK; 2022.
(This report aims to answer the question as to why 14,000 people per week are having their requests for care turned down by councils, many of which are facing growing demand and static or reducing resources with which to respond. It highlights the number of unpaid carers who provide hours of care for their loved ones, often at the expense of their own health and wellbeing.)

If you would like to receive personalised research directly to your inbox, please complete the form below and send it back to academic.inbox@lscft.nhs.uk where our team can set you up with an KnowledgeShare account.

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Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

ASH brief for local authorities on youth vaping.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH); 2022.
(This short briefing is to help local authorities respond to growing concerns about youth vaping in their communities. It is primarily for public health officials and trading standards officers, but also sets out important information for councillors, schools, parents and retailers. Links to further information are also provided.)

Quantifying health inequalities in England.
The Health Foundation; 2022.
(Results show health inequalities starting at a very early age and continuing to develop through adulthood. The early ages and changing structure of health inequalities reinforces the notion that nothing short of a joined-up policy approach can address the wide and complex health inequalities we see in England. We believe this new presentation of health inequalities shows powerfully that investing in the circumstances in which people live will help people stay healthier for longer.)

Advertising ban was linked to lower purchases of unhealthy food and drink.
NIHR Evidence; 2022.
(This is the first study to look at the implementation of the TfL advertising ban. It found that advertising restrictions are feasible, and could have a meaningful impact on population health. The findings could encourage governments and local authorities to consider similar policies to prevent obesity. The TfL restrictions were part of a childhood obesity strategy, but they could influence the whole population.)

Commission on Young Lives,
Centre for Mental Health; 2022.
(Alongside the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Centre for Mental Health have co-authored the fourth report from the Commission on Young Lives on rethinking mental health services for vulnerable young people. It reviews the latest data with a focus on those who are at higher risk, including those from racialised communities, lower socioeconomic backgrounds, young people with SEND, those in contact with the criminal justice and care systems, as well as LGBTQI+ communities.)

Domestic abuse and mental health: the amplified risks created during the pandemic.
Hisham I N. BJPsych Advances 2022;28(5):316-327.
[This article focuses on how COVID-19 and its anticipated aftermath exacerbate the risk factors for domestic abuse in the general population and discusses clinical implications for mental health practitioners in the UK. It aims to provide a point of learning based on previous disease outbreaks and recessions, with a focus on specific factors, such as unemployment and alcohol misuse, and how these contribute to increasing incidence and severity of abuse and how to mitigate these for patients…] Open Athens account required.

Public Health

Current Awareness Updates

Vulnerability in infancy.
Office for Health Improvement & Disparities (OHID); 2022.
(Descriptive analysis of vulnerability in infancy using data from the Community Services Dataset (CSDS). Analysis which describes and quantifies the reasons given for hospital and community services recording children as vulnerable in a child’s health record. Vulnerable children are at greater risk of experiencing physical or emotional harm or experiencing poor outcomes because of one or more factors in their lives.)

Unemployment and insecure housing are linked to less successful treatment for depression.
NIHR Evidence; 2022.
(The study found poorer outcomes after treatment for depression among people who are unemployed, struggling financially, not homeowners, and have educational qualifications beyond school. The research concluded that housing and employment status are likely to have a clinically meaningful effect on recovery, independent of the severity of depression, age, marital status or other factors.)


Commission on Young Lives,
Centre for Mental Health; 2022.
(Alongside the Children & Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Centre for Mental Health have co-authored the fourth report from the Commission on Young Lives on rethinking mental health services for vulnerable young people. It reviews the latest data with a focus on those who are at higher risk, including those from racialised communities, lower socioeconomic backgrounds, young people with SEND, those in contact with the criminal justice and care systems, as well as LGBTQI+ communities.)

Library Bulletin

Depression

The current bulletin for Depression, produced by Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust, is now available to view and download.

For support accessing any of the articles within the bulletin please contact: academic.library@lscft.nhs.uk

The Health Foundation’s Networked Data Lab

Improving children and young people’s mental health services: local data insights from England, Scotland and Wales

This briefing presents analysis from The Health Foundation’s Networked Data Lab (NDL) about children and young people’s mental health. The analysis from local teams across England, Scotland and Wales has highlighted three key areas for urgent investigation, to help ensure children and young people get the care they need. These are: rapid increases in mental health prescribing and support provided by GPs; the prevalence of mental health problems among adolescent girls and young women; and stark socio-economic inequalities across the UK.