The ONS has found that around 1 in 5 (21%) adults experienced some form of depression in early 2021 (27 January to 7 March). This is an increase since November 2020 (19%) and more than double that observed before the coronavirus pandemic (10%).
Young women were particularly likely to experience this, with over 4 in 10 (43%) women aged 16 to 29 experiencing depressive symptoms, compared with 26% of men the same age.
Joe Levenson, Director of Campaigns and Communications at Young Women’s Trust said:
“It is deeply worrying to see depression affecting so many young women, but sadly this correlates with our own research, which found 55% of young women have experienced depression in the last year and 3 million young women are worried about their mental health.
This comes as no surprise given the extreme pressures facing young women in the wake of the pandemic as they cope with loss of income, increased caring responsibilities and job insecurity. We are calling for the government to ensure no young woman is left behind as the country seeks to recover from the pandemic. This means investing in jobs and training, ensuring no young women aren’t left struggling financially and responding with properly funded, accessible mental health support which is tailored to young women’s experiences.”
