Achieving then failing in primary school is a sign of future teenage depression
Sinead Brophy, Swansea University Millions of people all over the world are experiencing mental health problems. And though the causes vary, we know that half of all these illnesses will have started in childhood or the teenage years. In the UK, referrals for and reports of teenagers with depression and anxiety and other mental issues have risen significantly in recent decades – reportedly increasing by 70% in the 25 years to 2016. Researchers have known for many years that education and mental health are strongly linked and that doing well in school gives children a strong sense of feeling good about themselves – which in turn is linked to higher levels of well-being in adulthood . Depression, on the other hand, is linked to poor future academic success, and this link between depression and school failure is stronger for girls than for boys . However, while depression leads to poor academic success, it is not clear if poor academic success lead...