A quarter of girls and nearly one in 10 boys show signs of depression at the age of 14, say UK researchers.
The government-funded study of over 10,000 young people looked at how many experienced the signs of depression not a clinical diagnosis of one.
Being from a poorer background or being of mixed or white ethnic background appeared to raise the risk.
Surveys with their parents, however, suggested many were not attuned to the true anxieties of their children.
Parents often underestimated daughters’ stress and had concerns about sons that the boys themselves did not voice.
Lead investigator Dr Praveetha Patalay, from Liverpool University, said teenagers, and particularly girls, were facing more mental health difficulties than previous generations – although the study did not look at this.
Many factors could be contributing, including exam stress and worries about body image, experts believe.
However, the rise could also be down to a greater willingness to acknowledge mental health problems by society.
The Millennium Cohort Study survey suggests:
* Teenage girls report more anxiety and depressive symptoms than boys
* 14-year-olds from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to report depressive symptoms than peers from better-off families
* Girls from mixed and white ethnic backgrounds are the most likely to report high depressive symptoms
* Black African girls are least likely to report high depressive symptoms at this age
* For boys, those from mixed and other ethnic groups are at greatest risk of depressive symptoms
* Bangladeshi and Indian boys are the least likely to report these symptoms
* Agreement between self- and parent-reported emotional symptoms of 14-year-olds is weak
Half of all cases of adult mental illness start by the age of 14, and it is important they are diagnosed and treated early. Read more
