Mental Health Crisis Hits Youth as Unhappiness Hump Vanishes

Mental health research reveals a dramatic change in the unhappiness hump pattern. Researchers have documented this U-shaped pattern of well-being by age more than 600 times in various countries since 2008, but it has now disappeared. The traditional pattern showed higher levels of worry, stress, and depression that peaked during midlife and declined in older age. Recent data points to an alarming new trend.

Young people’s mental health continues to deteriorate both in absolute terms and compared to older generations. This radical alteration has resulted in a monotonic decrease in well-being by age, where unhappiness steadily increases throughout life. Suicide ranks as the fourth leading cause of death among 15-29 year olds in the United States. The suicide rates of youths aged 12-17 rose by 70% from 3.7 to 6.3 per 100,000 population between 2008 and 2020. Federal health officials report that all but one of four U.S. adults have a mental illness. Anti-depressant prescriptions among adolescents and young adults started rising before COVID, which proves this isn’t just a pandemic effect. Data from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, the United States, and 167 countries worldwide demonstrates this troubling decline in young people’s well-being.

Researchers Confirm Disappearance of the Unhappiness Hump

_{Image Source: Global Interdependence Center}

A groundbreaking study by researchers at University College London (UCL) shows that a decades-old pattern in human psychology no longer exists. Scientists used to see that worry, stress, and depression followed a predictable path through life. These feelings would rise in young adulthood, peak during middle age, and then drop in later years. This pattern, called the “unhappiness hump,” was the life-blood of well-being research worldwide.

What is the unhappiness hump?

The unhappiness hump describes a well-documented trend where mental ill-being—including worry, stress, and depression—grows with age until midlife. It typically peaks around age 50 before declining in later years. When graphed across a lifetime, this creates a hump-shaped curve. The opposite shows up as a U-shape in well-being, where happiness drops until midlife and then bounces back.

The largest longitudinal study confirmed this pattern across many countries. Scientists found this hump-shaped pattern in people born in different decades (1940s through 1980s). Each group experienced similar increases in distress during midlife. This consistent finding led researchers to guess it might connect to psychological traits common in primates—some studies even found similar patterns in apes.

Medical evidence backed up the midlife peak in unhappiness. The peak of ill-being around age 50 matched higher rates of “deaths of despair” from suicide, drug overdoses, and alcohol poisoning. Psychiatric admissions and antidepressant use also increased during this time.

How the U-shape in well-being was found

Economists first found that there was a U-shaped well-being curve in 2008. David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald looked at data from General Social Surveys and Eurobarometers. They found that happiness decreased from young adulthood to middle age, hit its lowest point around age 47, and then increased throughout older adulthood.

After this original finding, researchers replicated the pattern hundreds of times across developed and developing countries. The strength of this discovery made it one of the most documented features in human psychology. Some researchers questioned whether generational differences caused the U-shape rather than aging itself. Yet, studies that tracked individuals over time generally confirmed the pattern existed.

By 2015, the unhappiness hump had become common knowledge. A Swiss internet survey revealed that 92% of respondents believed in midlife crises, and 71% knew someone who had gone through one.

Why this pattern no longer holds true

Researchers from UCL Social Research Institute, Dartmouth College, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies first noticed the unhappiness hump vanishing in US and UK survey data. They looked at the Global Minds Dataset to confirm this wasn’t just happening in certain regions. This dataset assessed nearly 2 million people across 44 countries between 2020-2025.

Every dataset showed the same thing: the unhappiness hump has disappeared worldwide. Mental ill-being now steadily drops with age instead of peaking in midlife. Young people now face the worst mental health, which improves as they get older.

Younger generations’ declining mental health seems to drive this change rather than older adults feeling better. People in their late 40s and older maintain stable psychological well-being. Meanwhile, younger age groups show major drops in mental health.

This change started around 2017, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pattern looked completely different by 2022. Life satisfaction now rises steadily with age instead of showing a U-shape with its typical low point in the early 50s.

This change marks a fundamental shift in human psychology’s most documented feature. Researchers haven’t pinpointed the exact causes yet, but they suggest several possibilities: effects of the 2008 financial crisis, underfunded mental health services, pandemic-related stress, and social media use. We need more research to understand why this major transformation happened.

Youth Mental Health Declines Across the Globe

_{Image Source: Our World in Data}

Young people’s mental health has taken a dramatic downturn worldwide. The old pattern of mental health issues peaking in middle age no longer exists. Today’s data shows psychological distress increases as age decreases.

Evidence from the US and UK

The United States reveals troubling mental health trends among youth. Emergency department visits with mental health diagnoses for ages 0-17 jumped from 784.1 to 869.3 per 100,000 population between 2016 and 2019. Suicide ranks as the fourth leading cause of death for those aged 15-29. The suicide rates among youths aged 12-17 shot up by 70% from 3.7 to 6.3 per 100,000 population between 2008 and 2020.

The UK shows similar trends that reach beyond health care. Students aged 8-16 with likely mental disorders missed school seven times more often than their peers in 2022. Doctors prescribed twice as many antidepressants to children ages 12-17 between 2005 and 2017. The economic toll proves substantial. Economic inactivity among 16-24 year olds rose by 29% between 2019 and 2022. Mental illness led this increase in long-term sickness, growing by about 20,000 cases (24% increase).

Global Minds data from 44 countries

The Global Minds Dataset backs these findings across 44 countries, including the US and UK. The data shows that distress, fear, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts decrease steadily with age. This pattern appears in every country studied, without the previous midlife peak in unhappiness.

Researchers measured several key indicators: feelings of sadness, distress or hopelessness (mean score 4.45), fear and anxiety (mean score 5.24), and suicidal thoughts (mean score 2.64). This worldwide evidence confirms that mental well-being patterns have changed fundamentally rather than just in certain regions.

Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) scores by age

The Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) measures mental well-being on a scale from -100 to +200. The average MHQ score between 2020-2025 was 68, but age differences tell a striking story:

• One in four respondents scored in the clinically at-risk range with negative scores
• Almost half of under-25s fell into the at-risk category
• Only 9.4% of people aged 65+ qualified as at-risk or clinical
• The number of people “succeeding or thriving” grew with age from 27.3% in the 18-24 group to 69.2% in the 65+ group

Gender gaps make youth mental health even more concerning. Negative MHQ scores appeared in 53% of young women and 41% of young men under 25, compared to 21% of women and 17% of men aged 25 and over. While 5.6% of all respondents qualified as “distressed” with scores below -50, this number jumped to 13.4% among under-25s.

Past generations could look forward to better mental health after middle age. Today’s young people start with much higher distress levels. Global evidence shows mental well-being improves only as people age, leaving no midlife turning point to anticipate.

COVID-19 Accelerates Mental Health Deterioration

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The COVID-19 pandemic became a turning point that made existing mental health problems worse among young people worldwide. The World Health Organization found that anxiety and depression grew by 25% globally during the pandemic’s first year. This decline in mental wellness further eroded the traditional “hump meaning” in life satisfaction patterns. Young generations experienced an even steeper drop in their well-being.

Pre-pandemic vs post-pandemic trends

Mental health started deteriorating before COVID-19 but got much worse during lockdowns and social restrictions. Iceland’s youth showed fewer depressive symptoms in 2023 compared to 2021. These numbers stayed much higher than before the pandemic. Anxiety and hostility also rose during this time and remained above pre-pandemic levels into 2023.

Depression rates hit alarming levels during the pandemic. About 48% of young people met depression criteria while 51% showed signs of anxiety. Young people who used primary mental health services felt much lonelier than others. People saw COVID-19’s effect as negative in their work, studies, personal life, and mental health.

Recent data shows some improvement but hasn’t returned to normal:

• Adult anxiety and depression dropped from 37.6% in COVID-19’s first year to 29.5% during recovery, yet exceeds pre-pandemic levels
• Young adults aged 18-29 show the highest rates (44.8%) of anxiety or depression after the pandemic
• Mental healthcare use grew from 20% in 2019 to 23.31% in 2022

Why the young were disproportionately affected

Young populations faced worse mental health effects from COVID-19 for several reasons. The pandemic disrupted key developmental periods in their lives. About 75% of young people using mental health services reported that COVID-19 hurt their work, activities, and overall well-being.

School closures created unique challenges. Students had a 74% higher chance of feeling school pressure for every 100 days schools stayed closed. They lost vital support structures when educational routines stopped. Many reported feeling cut off from “normal social interactions that have been apart of routine”.

Young adults reported twice as much mental health decline compared to those over 65. This age gap continued throughout the pandemic but decreased over time. These findings match the move away from the “over the hump meaning” in traditional mental health patterns. Young people now start with much higher distress levels.

Gender played a big role too. Older schoolgirls struggled more than younger boys with their mental health. Johns Hopkins researchers discovered higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts during and after the pandemic. Black, Asian and Hispanic females faced the biggest challenges. Asian females saw anxiety increase by 136%, while suicidal thoughts rose by 171%.

Social support proved to be the key factor in how well people coped with the pandemic. Family support helped the most, followed by support from teachers and classmates. Yet, families with lower incomes reported more negative effects even with similar social support.

Social Media and Smartphones Worsen Youth Well-being

_{Image Source: Health Matters – NewYork-Presbyterian}

Growing smartphone and social media use has become a major reason for declining youth mental well-being. Young people’s life satisfaction has lost its traditional “hump meaning.” Teen depression, self-harm, and suicide attempts rose sharply between 2011 and 2019. This increase happened as social media changed from being optional to almost mandatory for teenagers.

Natural experiments linking tech use to distress

Several random assignment experiments show that social media directly leads to poor mental health. This connection works in different ways. Teenagers who heavily use social media sleep about an hour less each night, which increases their risk of depression by a lot. Teen sleep deprivation in the U.S. grew by 17% as social media became more popular between 2011 and 2016.

Studies about specific psychological effects show that too much screen time overstimulates the brain’s reward center similarly to addiction. Teens using social media more than three hours daily are twice as likely to show depression and anxiety symptoms. The relationship between technology use and mental health works both ways. More screen time can worsen mental health problems, which leads to even more technology use.

Gender disparities in digital impact

Digital technology’s negative effects hit some groups harder than others. Girls have higher rates of problematic social media use compared to boys (13% versus 9%). Heavy digital media use connects more strongly to lower well-being in girls. Light digital media use links to higher well-being more often in boys.

These gender differences happen because:

• Girls compare themselves to others and seek feedback on social media more often
• Girls spend more time carefully creating their online image with friends’ help
• Girls focus more on their physical appearance
• Social media makes adolescent girls worry more about their body weight

WHO Europe data shows problematic social media use jumped from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022. Users with problematic social media habits report worse mental and social well-being. They also show higher substance use than those without these issues.

Calls for regulation and digital detox

The United States Surgeon General released a social media advisory in 2023 about risks to children and teens’ mental health. Social media use could change brain areas related to emotions, learning, impulse control, and social behavior.

Policy approaches worldwide keep evolving. The EU’s Digital Services Act now requires large platforms to protect children through age checks, parental controls, quick content moderation, and clear algorithms. “Digital detox” programs help reduce negative effects. Studies show that less social media use lowers depression symptoms and encourages real-life interactions.

New research suggests cutting back on social media works better than quitting completely. A 2025 review found digital detoxes are a great way to get several benefits. People experience less stress, reduced depression and anxiety, better self-control, improved sleep, and greater life satisfaction.

Economic Scarring and Labor Market Insecurity Hit the Young

_{Image Source: DC Fiscal Policy Institute}

Economic struggles have changed how we view mental well-being’s traditional “hump meaning,” especially for young workers who took the biggest hit from recent financial crises. These job market disruptions have left deep scars on youth employment paths and changed career outlooks for their entire generation.

Post-recession job prospects and wage stagnation

Young people’s job opportunities have taken multiple hits from economic downturns since 2000. The dot-com crash, Great Recession, and COVID-19 pandemic created tough conditions for building careers. Youth aged 16-21 were 11 percentage points less likely to find work by late 2019 compared to 2000. Prime-age adults only saw a 1-percentage-point drop. The pandemic made things worse by pushing youth employment down another 6 percentage points.

Pay has gotten worse too. The pay gap between young men with and without college degrees grew from 23% in 1973 to 72% by 2014. College graduates aren’t doing much better – their inflation-adjusted hourly wages in 2013 fell below late 1990s levels. Health benefits have also taken a big hit. Only 31% of recent college graduates had employer-sponsored health insurance in 2012, down from 61% in 1989.

Starting your career during a recession causes lasting damage. College graduates who begin working in tough economic times earn less for 10 to 15 years compared to those who start during good times. Young people now need until their early 30s to find stable work – something that used to happen in their mid-20s.

How economic stress contributes to despair

Money problems create more than just financial stress. The fear of losing your job can wreck your mental health. Research shows job insecurity leads to more depression, anxiety, fatigue, and sleep problems. These issues often start small but grow into long-term problems.

Job insecurity affects people in several ways:

• They feel less committed to their company and want to leave
• Work satisfaction drops and they miss more days
• Their performance, creativity, and ability to adapt suffer
• They experience more anxiety, depression, and burnout

Young people facing money problems often lose hope about their future. Financial stress has become their biggest worry, even more than climate change. This anxiety keeps growing – money worries among young people jumped 14% between 2021 and 2022, hitting record levels since tracking started in 2016.

These problems go beyond just careers. People who start working during recessions have higher divorce rates and fewer children later in life. The news gets worse – they die earlier in middle age, mostly from health issues tied to bad habits like heart disease, lung cancer, liver problems, and drug overdoses.

Mental Health Crisis Impacts Education and Workforce

_{Image Source: Australia Wide First Aid}

Mental health challenges among young people have left visible scars on our education system and job market. Life satisfaction no longer follows the traditional “over the hump meaning” pattern. Educational institutions and workplaces now face disruptions that nobody could have predicted.

Rising school absenteeism and learning loss

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely damaged school attendance rates. Students missed 7.2% of school days in the 2023/24 academic year – up 2.5 percentage points from before the pandemic. The numbers look even worse when you dig deeper. All but one of these students now skip at least 10% of their classes, which is twice the pre-pandemic rate. Students with mental health conditions suffer the most. About 11.2% of these students missed more than 15 school days, while only 1.5% of their mentally healthy peers had similar absences.

These absences have hurt academic performance substantially. A study of Ethiopian students during pandemic school closures revealed that 42% saw their math scores drop by an average of 10 percentage points. Students who reported poor mental health were 12% more likely to fall behind than their peers with better mental health. UK schools show similar patterns – students who meet expected standards in key subjects tend to miss fewer classes than those who struggle.

Mental health problems are the biggest reason for approved absences, while social and economic factors associate more with unauthorized absences. Students who get free school meals or need special education support tend to miss more school days.

Youth economic inactivity and long-term risks

Poor mental health among young people has created equally troubling workplace issues. Young people with mental health conditions are five times more likely to stay out of work compared to their peers. About one-fourth of people who can’t work due to health issues are under 35. Young people with mental health struggles face unemployment rates three times higher than their peers.

These early career struggles leave lasting damage. Today’s graduates take 4.7 years to find full-time work, compared to just one year in 1986. Mental disorders often lead to extended sick leave and early retirement. Recent graduates taking mental health medication struggle more to find and keep paid jobs.

The challenges don’t end with finding work. Workers with mental health conditions earn only 79% of what their healthy colleagues make. This pay gap creates a harmful cycle where money worries make mental health even worse.

The economic toll runs deep. The UK economy could gain £150 billion yearly by addressing sick leave and health-related unemployment. Without help, young people’s well-being might not improve with age as it used to, suggesting these problems could follow them throughout their lives.

Suicide and Antidepressant Use Rise Among Youth

_{Image Source: The Lancet}

Recent statistics paint a troubling picture of youth mental health with escalating suicide rates and antidepressant use. These numbers highlight how life satisfaction’s traditional “hump meaning” has shifted. Young people now experience more psychological distress than those in midlife.

Trends in suicide rates by age and gender

Americans aged 10 to 24 experienced a 62% increase in suicide rates from 2007 to 2021. The situation has become critical as one in five high school students said they seriously thought about suicide in 2023. Black youth face an even more alarming reality – their suicide rates jumped 144% between 2007 and 2020, surpassing all other racial groups.

Males die by suicide about four times more often than females. However, female adolescents showed a 50.6% increase in emergency department visits for suspected suicide attempts in early 2021 compared to 2019. A ray of hope emerged in 2022 as suicide rates dropped 18% for ages 10-14 and 9% for ages 15-24.

Prescription data as a proxy for distress

Antidepressant prescriptions tell another story about youth mental health struggles. Monthly prescription rates soared 66.3% among Americans aged 12-25 between 2016 and 2022. The pandemic made things worse – teenage girls’ antidepressant prescriptions surged 129.6% above pre-pandemic levels.

Teen boys showed different patterns. Their antidepressant use decreased during the pandemic, though more males reported feeling sad and hopeless (rising from 21% to 29% between 2011 and 2021).

U.S. adolescents and young adults receiving antidepressant prescriptions reached 4.5% by 2022. This number reflects how healthcare providers increasingly recognize youth mental health challenges.

Experts Call for Urgent Policy and Healthcare Reform

_{Image Source: The Center for Health Design}

Mental health funding worldwide falls short of addressing a growing crisis that has changed how people find satisfaction in life. Children and teens between 10-19 years old face mental health challenges, with one in seven affected. Public funding barely exists for youth mental health services, particularly in low-income countries.

Underfunded mental health services

Depression and anxiety drain the global economy by USD 3.67 trillion each year. Governments spend only 2% of their health budgets on mental health. The spending gap between nations reveals a stark reality: high-income countries invest up to USD 238.68 per person on mental health care. Low-income countries can only manage USD 0.15. Mental illness makes up more than 20% of the UK’s disease burden, yet this disparity continues.

Recommendations from researchers and institutions

Leading experts support these key actions:

• Youth voices must shape policy decisions to create stronger mental health programs
• Care approaches need cultural awareness to fight stigma and help people earlier
• Community-based care models should expand beyond their current presence in less than 10% of countries
• Schools need funded mental health coordinators to watch over student wellbeing
• Annual pediatrician visits should include mental health screenings

Change has started to take shape. The UK government has pledged £26 million to build new mental health crisis centers and update the Mental Health Act. The World Health Organization believes that every country can take meaningful steps to improve their children’s mental health, whatever their circumstances.

Youth psychology patterns show a dramatic change in the unhappiness curve. The well-documented U-shaped patterns of wellbeing no longer exist. Mental health now steadily worsens throughout youth instead. This unprecedented crisis needs immediate action from policymakers, healthcare providers and society.

Several factors drive this worrying trend. Screen time and psychological distress have direct links to declining youth mental health. The pandemic made existing problems worse by disrupting education during crucial developmental stages. Young workers face added pressure from stagnant wages, unstable jobs, and fewer career chances than previous generations.

The situation looks grim with rising suicide rates and more antidepressant prescriptions among teens. Suicide has become the fourth leading cause of death for people aged 15-29. Youth suicide rates jumped 70% between 2008 and 2020 for ages 12-17. Young people’s antidepressant use surged 66.3% from 2016 to 2022.

Schools show clear signs of this crisis. Students skip classes more than ever before. Those with mental health problems are five times more likely to miss school regularly. These absences hurt learning outcomes and create lasting educational gaps that could affect students’ entire lives.

Mental health issues disrupt the workplace too. Young people with these conditions face triple the unemployment rate of their peers. Employed individuals earn 21% less than workers without health conditions. This pay gap creates financial stress that makes their mental health even worse.

Mental health services remain severely underfunded worldwide despite this crisis’s scope. Governments typically spend just 2% of health budgets on mental health. Yet mental illness accounts for over 20% of the disease burden in developed nations. This gap between needs and resources must change quickly.

Real solutions need a detailed plan that tackles multiple issues at once. Digital literacy programs, better job opportunities, easier access to mental health care, and community support systems should work together. Schools also need help to spot struggling students early and connect them with proper care.

This vanishing happiness curve reveals a fundamental change in how humans develop. Without quick action, today’s young people might never experience the midlife improvement their parents did. Their future depends on how we handle this crisis now. Society’s wellbeing hangs in the balance, making this issue too important to ignore.