Staff writer Rivkah Frolov discusses a recent study from researchers in King’s Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience into mental health diagnoses in South London.
Fewer than one in 15 young people in South London who are estimated to have a mental health disorder are diagnosed, King’s researchers find.
The study, published in the Lancet Regional Health and led by Dr Stephanie Lewis, used NHS records from 2009 to 2024 and compared data on 17-year-olds with estimates from a national study of over 2,000 young people. The NHS mental health services such as the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), provide treatment and support for people with mental health conditions.
Over the 16-year period, there was an overall increase in mental health disorder recognition in young people, with diagnosis rates rising from 2.6% to 4.4%.
However, across five mental health disorders (depression, generalised anxiety disorder, PTSD, conduct disorder, and ADHD), fewer than one in 15 of those young people estimated to have a disorder were diagnosed with their condition.
Even among those who had already seen a health professional such as a GP or counsellor, fewer than one in 4 got a diagnosis.
Among young people estimated to have a disorder, girls were less likely to be diagnosed than boys, as well as young people from Black, Asian, Mixed or other ethnic backgrounds compared with White young people.
This reflects a bias in who gets diagnosed and has access to mental health services.
The researchers suggest two reasons for why this gap in diagnosis exists: barriers to seeking mental health help, including worries about confidentiality and barriers in the system, such as high thresholds for accessing these services.
The study diagnosis data is, however, subject to recording errors and the number of 17-year-olds with disorders were also only estimated rather than counted.
The study also only covers one age group in only one area, South London, with the ethnic groups consisting of small numbers. However, the researchers state that these limitations are unlikely to change the conclusion and that diagnosis rates also reflect the national average, with an equal or even larger gap.
The researchers point out certain implications to these findings, including that there is a need for larger investment into the mental healthcare system in areas such as having sufficient staff and clinicians, so more young people with disorders are correctly assessed and diagnosed.
A calling for further research and investments in this area must importantly also be invested into with equity in mind.
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