These are striking findings, particularly given how many young people experienced symptoms over multiple years of the study and how much depression and anxiety symptoms can affect young people’s functioning and can have long-lasting negative health outcomes,” she said.
For the study 1,239 children from Melbourne enrolled in the Child to Adult Transition Study (CATS) had their symptoms of anxiety and depression tracked every year from 10 to 18 years of age.
Girls were at increased risk with 84 per cent compared to 61 per cent of boys having depression or anxiety symptoms at least once during adolescence. Girls were also more likely to have a chronic course at 72 per cent and 49 per cent, respectively. 
The onset of anxiety and depression symptoms increased at times that coincided with educational stress such as the primary to secondary school transition, exam periods and the end of compulsory education.  Three quarters of participants who struggled with mental health problems during the COVID-19 years already had symptoms, highlighting factors beyond the pandemic stressors.
MCRI Professor Susan Sawyer said that despite growing concerns about adolescent mental health, until the CATS, few studies had comprehensively charted the course of common mental disorders across this key life stage.

Image: Professor Susan Sawyer
“To our knowledge, this longitudinal study shows the highest cumulative incidence of clinically significant symptoms of common mental disorders that has ever been reported across adolescence from any country,” she said.
“This high incidence of common mental health problems suggests that even the most well-resourced country would struggle to provide adequate treatment if every young person sought help. Beyond clinical care, we urgently need to fund, develop and evaluate preventive strategies that aim to reduce the onset and chronicity of depression and anxiety.”
Dr Robson said; “Adolescents today are growing up in a distinctly different psychosocial landscape than earlier generations, one that is characterised by greater mental health literacy, reduced stigma, and at times the glamorisation of mental health problems. Given this context, our next step will be to explore what impact these reported symptoms have on the functioning and health outcomes of contemporary adolescents.”
GenV, tracking the health and wellbeing of Victorians, from birth to old age, will also provide invaluable insights into the health challenges faced by our young people including mental health problems. 
This content is taken from Murdoch Childrens Research Institute

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