Fonagy Rejects 'Snowflake' Label, Confirms Youth Mental Rise — SkimNews
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- Prof Peter Fonagy, head of an independent review into mental health, ADHD and autism, said there has been a real rise in mental distress among children and young people, with anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders the most common issues.
- Fonagy rejected accusations that today's youth are a 'snowflake generation,' arguing that 'other generations just buried it' rather than faced higher distress.
- Wes Streeting, the then-health secretary, ordered the review nine months ago after claiming in an interview that young people were over-diagnosed and 'written off.'
- BBC reporter Catherine Burns spoke to young mental health ambassadors who echoed the report's findings and called for an increase in mental health support.
- The review's scope extends beyond mental health to include ADHD and autism, framing youth distress as a broader neurodevelopmental and emotional concern.
Why it matters: Fonagy's findings directly undercut the premise under which Wes Streeting commissioned the review nine months ago—Streeting had claimed young people were over-diagnosed, yet the report he ordered concludes the opposite. With young ambassadors publicly demanding more mental health support, the UK government now faces pressure to expand youth services rather than scale back.
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