The DOI matches its Crossref record; 40 of the 40 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Temporal trends in annual incidence rates for psychiatric disorders and self-harm among children and adolescents in the UK, 2003–2018
Open accessAbstract
Background: There has been growing concern in the UK over recent years that a perceived mental health crisis is affecting children and adolescents, although published epidemiological evidence is limited. Methods: Two population-based UK primary care cohorts were delineated in the Aurum and GOLD datasets of the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). We included data from 9,133,246 individuals aged 1–20 who contributed 117,682,651 person-years of observation time. Sex- and age-stratified annual incidence rates were estimated for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (age groups: 1–5, 6–9, 10–12, 13–16, 17–19), depression, anxiety disorders (6–9, 10–12, 13–16, 17–19), eating disorders and self-harm (10–12, 13–16, 17–19) during 2003–2018. We fitted negative binomial regressions to estimate incidence rate ratios (IRRs) to examine change in incidence between the first (2003) and final year (2018) year of observation and to examine sex-specific incidence. Results: The results indicated that the overall incidence has increased substantially in both boys and girls in between 2003 and 2018 for anxiety disorders (IRR 3.51 95% CI 3.18–3.89), depression (2.37; 2.03–2.77), ASD (2.36; 1.72–3.26), ADHD (2.3; 1.73–3.25), and self-harm (2.25; 1.82–2.79). The incidence for eating disorders also increased (IRR 1.3 95% CI 1.06–1.61), but less sharply. The incidence of anxiety disorders, depression, self-harm and eating disorders was in absolute terms higher in girls, whereas the opposite was true for the incidence of ADHD and ASD, which were higher among boys. The largest relative increases in incidence were observed for neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly among girls diagnosed with ADHD or ASD. However, in absolute terms, the incidence was much higher for depression and anxiety disorders. Conclusion: The number of young people seeking help for psychological distress appears to have increased in recent years. Changes to diagnostic criteria, reduced stigma, and increased awareness may partly explain our results, but we cannot rule out true increases in incidence occurring in the population. Whatever the explanation, the marked rise in demand for healthcare services means that it may be more challenging for affected young people to promptly access the care and support that they need.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Figures



Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“This issue is increasingly observed in youth seeking psychiatric care [29, 45, 46].”
From Scrolling through adolescence: a systematic review of the impact of TikTok on adolescent mental health (2025) · cites this paper as [46]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Data Resource Profile: Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)
Herrett, E., Gallagher, A. M., Bhaskaran, K., Forbes, H., Mathur, R., van Staa, T., & Smeeth, L. (2015) · International Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/ije/dyv098 · Cited by 2,667 · cited 1×
“We classified incident diagnosed cases and self-harm episodes using lists of Read codes that were generated by exhaustive searching of the CPRD’s medical directory [20].”
MethodKim-Cohen, J., Caspi, A., Moffitt, T. E., Harrington, H., Milne, B. J., & Poulton, R. (2003) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.60.7.709 · Cited by 2,025
Epidemiology of mental disorders in children and adolescents
Merikangas, K. R., Nakamura, E. F., & Kessler, R. C. (2009) · Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.31887/dcns.2009.11.1/krmerikangas · Cited by 1,246
Data resource profile: Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum
Wolf, A., Dedman, D., Campbell, J., Booth, H., Lunn, D., Chapman, J., & Myles, P. (2019) · International Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/ije/dyz034 · Cited by 861
Annual Research Review: Secular trends in child and adolescent mental health
Collishaw, S. (2015) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.12372 · Cited by 788
The Heritability of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Sandin, S., Lichtenstein, P., Kuja-Halkola, R., Hultman, C., Larsson, H., & Reichenberg, A. (2017) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2017.12141 · Cited by 776
Social media use and adolescent mental health: Findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study
Kelly, Y., Zilanawala, A., Booker, C., & Sacker, A. (2018) · EClinicalMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2018.12.005 · Cited by 740
Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017
Sadler, K. E., Vizard, T., Ford, T. J., Marchesell, F., Pearce, N., Mandalia, D., Davis, J., Brodie, E., Forbes, N., Goodman, A., et al. (2018) · Digital Education Resource Archive (University College London) · Cited by 543
Xu, G., Strathearn, L., Liu, B., Yang, B., & Bao, W. (2018) · JAMA Network Open · doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2018.1471 · Cited by 510
Micali, N., Hagberg, K. W., Petersen, I., & Treasure, J. L. (2013) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002646 · Cited by 432
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- World Health Organization. Mental health action plan 2013-2020. 2013.
- NHS Mental Health Taskforce. The five year forward view for mental health. The Mental Health Taskforce 2016.
- Department of Health. Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper. 2017.
- Mclennan D, Barnes H, Noble M, Davies J, Garratt E. The English indices of deprivation 2010 the English indices of deprivation 2010; 2010.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–170 of 170
Avery, F., James, M., Cowley, L., Griffiths, L. J., Bellis, M. A., Hughes, K., & Brophy, S. T. (2025) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0313371 · Cited by 1
Pascual-Sánchez, A., Singh, N., Lee, C. N., Smoter, P., Dessain, A., Zundel, T., Baker, E., & Ougrin, D. (2025) · Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/13591045251343115 · Cited by 1
Trafford, A. M., Carr, M., Ashcroft, D. M., Chew-Graham, C. A., Cockcroft, E., Cybulski, Ł., Garavini, E., Garg, S., Hussey, L. J., Kabir, T., et al. (2025) · British Journal of General Practice · doi:10.3399/bjgp.2024.0804 · Cited by 2
Self-citationChanges in child suicide rates and characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic in England
Odd, D., Knipe, D. W., Williams, T., Stoianova, S., Chitsabesan, P., & Luyt, K. (2026) · Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/frcha.2026.1657552 · Cited by 1
The experiences of young people who use social media regularly and who deliberately self-harm
Ramanan, V., Kaya, S., & Frood, S. (2025) · Journal of family & child health. · doi:10.12968/jfch.2025.2.5.228 · Cited by 1
Pierce, M., Banwell, E., Gillibrand, S., Panayiotou, M., Qualter, P., Munford, L. A., & Demkowicz, O. (2025) · BJPsych Open · doi:10.1192/bjo.2025.10801 · Cited by 1
Trends in Hospitalizations of Adolescents With Psychiatric Disorders in Acute Care Hospitals
Ishitsuka, K., Shinjo, D., Yamawaki, K., & Fushimi, K. (2025) · Hospital Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/hpeds.2024-008097 · Cited by 1
Bell, V., White, R., & Foulkes, L. (2025) · Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.1080/09638237.2025.2558503 · Cited by 1
Keller, J., Mandy, W., Herle, M., & Leno, V. C. (2025) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.70051 · Cited by 2
Digital media balance and mental health: effects of a school-based program
Guath, M., Nutley, S. B., & Thorell, L. B. (2026) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health · doi:10.1186/s13034-026-01131-3 · Cited by 1
Liang, M., Ho, G. W. K., & Christensen, M. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1396008 · Cited by 6
Madan, J. J., Valliere, N. D., Yap, M. B. H., Birchwood, M. J., Bouliotis, G., Cardamone-Breen, M. C., Khan, K., Melvin, G. A., Michelet, F., Olivier, P. L., et al. (2026) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/s12874-026-02764-w · Cited by 1
Die Entwicklung der Suizidzahlen von Kindern und Jugendlichen in Deutschland von 2005 bis 2023
Kasperzack, D., König, U., & Becker, K. (2026) · Zeitschrift für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie und Psychotherapie · doi:10.1024/1422-4917/a001067 · Cited by 1
Chen, Y., Black, M., Bennett, D. L., McGovern, R., Sharp, H. M., Rehkopf, D. H., Taylor-Robinson, D. C., & Adjei, N. K. (2026) · Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health · doi:10.1186/s13034-026-01023-6 · Cited by 2
Tibbs, M., Francis, G. A., Mountain, J. A., Polizzi, G., & Bell, B. T. (2026) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2026-119555 · Cited by 1
Li, L.-G., Fu, H., Zhao, Y.-H., Zhao, P., Meng, Q.-K., Zheng, R.-J., & Li, E.-Y. (2022) · Annals of Pharmacotherapy · doi:10.1177/10600280221130280 · Cited by 1
The Epidemiology of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Self-Harm in Nonclinical Samples
Staring, L., Kiekens, G., & Kirtley, O. J. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197611272.013.7 · Cited by 1
Dalloz, J. (2024) · Discover Psychology · doi:10.1007/s44202-024-00307-2 · Cited by 2
Dimitrova, E., Kouroupa, A., & Totsika, V. (2024) · American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-130.1.24 · Cited by 3
Gagné, T., Henderson, C., & McMunn, A. (2022) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2022.11.21.22282163 · Cited by 1
Knowles, G., Stanyon, D., Yamasaki, S., Miyashita, M., Gayer-Anderson, C. E., Endo, K., Usami, S., Niimura, J., Nakajima, N., Baba, K., et al. (2023) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2023.11.22.23298823 · Cited by 1
Increased threat learning after social isolation in human adolescentsPreprint
Towner, E., Thomas, K., Tomova, L., & Blakemore, S. (2024) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/hsx2q · Cited by 1
Treatment of Functional Neurological Disorders
Dunalska, A., Saramak, K., Śmiłowska, K., & Szejko, N. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-40858-8_261-1 · Cited by 1
Charlton, J., Battersby, A. C., Drinkwater, C., McKean, M., & Quibell, T. (2022) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2311935/v1
Crosley‐Lyons, R., Penner, M., & Ausenhus, C. (2022) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-818872-9.00162-x
Trends in antipsychotic prescribing in children and adolescents: more is not necessarily better
Ratheesh, A., & McGorry, P. D. (2023) · The Lancet Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s2215-0366(23)00003-2
Health services in Iraq - A cross-sectional survey of adolescents in Basra
Saeedi, A. M. A. , Saeedi, S., & Mahmoud, J. Y. (2022) · Journal of Emerging Investigators · doi:10.59720/21-222
Cross-sectoral primary care-based approaches to reducing suicides in England
Mughal, F., & Sheikh, A. (2024) · Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine · doi:10.1177/01410768231220306
Mughal, F., Chew-Graham, C. A., Saunders, B., Lawton, S., Lewis, S., Smith, J., Lancaster, G., Townsend, E., Armitage, C. J., Bower, P., et al. (2024) · NIHR Open Research · doi:10.3310/nihropenres.13576.1
Self-citationSanchez‐Martinez, J., Martínez‐Flores, R., Espinoza‐Puelles, J. P., Hernández-Jaña, S., Erickson, K. I., Kramer, A. F., Barha, C. K., Walsh, J. J., Ortega, F. B., Esteban‐Cornejo, I., et al. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4834043
Mughal, F., Chew-Graham, C. A., Saunders, B., et al. (2024) · NIHR Open Research · doi:10.3310/nihropenres.14737.r31763
Mughal, F., Chew-Graham, C. A., Saunders, B., et al. (2024) · King's College London · doi:10.3310/nihropenres.14737.r31764
Johnstone, N., & Kadosh, K. C. (2024) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2024.10.07.24314997
Wadman, R., Taylor, O., Hudson, K., Lewer, D., Hewitt, C. E., Pickavance, J., Pryce, J., Wright, J., & Gilbody, S. M. (2024) · NIHR Open Research · doi:10.3310/nihropenres.13678.1
Marchant, A. L., McGregor, J., DelPozo‐Baños, M., Lloyd, K. R., Williams, D., Thapar, A., Watkins, A., & John, A. M. (2024) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291724002861
Coaching Generation Z: Necessity, challenges and opportunities
Hulbert‐Williams, L., Wilkinson, D., & Hulbert-Williams, N. (2024) · The Coaching Psychologist · doi:10.53841/bpstcp.2024.20.2.74
Grygiel, P., Opozda-Suder, S., & Dolata, R. (2026) · European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education · doi:10.3390/ejihpe16060078
Vicente, M. R. M., Reboiras, L. V., Mayo, M. J. S., & Santos, M. D. D. (2025) · Revista de Psiquiatría Infanto-Juvenil · doi:10.31766/revpsij.v42n1a3
Bye, A., Wilson-Lemoine, E., Trevillion, K., Carter, B., & Dutta, R. (2025) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/s12874-025-02571-9
Temporal change in the prevalence and etiology of youth antisocial behavior.
Burt, S. A., Carroll, S., Clark, S. L., Klump, K. L., & Hyde, L. W. (2025) · Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science · doi:10.1037/abn0001034
Phones and other tech can enhance teens’ connection to nature
Friedman, S. (2025) · doi:10.64628/ab.evsf7t3x3
Rosenbaum, J. J., Varma, S., Kirkpatrick, M. G., & Udelsman, B. V. (2025) · Journal of Surgical Research · doi:10.1016/j.jss.2025.08.006
Finserås, T. R., Skogen, J. C., Hygen, B. W., Knudsen, A. K., & Sivertsen, B. (2025) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-025-01576-1
Drubina, B., Alexandrov, A., Kökönyei, G., & Reinhardt, M. (2025) · International Journal of Adolescence and Youth · doi:10.1080/02673843.2025.2590922 · Cited by 2
Elia, J., PAJER, K. A., Prasad, R., Pumariega, A. J., Maltenfort, M., Utidjian, L., Shenkman, E., Kelleher, K. J., Rao, S., Margolis, P. A., et al. (2023) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.24144078
Drubina, B., Kökönyei, G., Várnai, D., & Reinhardt, M. (2023) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.24819659
Elia, J., PAJER, K. A., Prasad, R., Pumariega, A., Maltenfort, M., Utidjian, L., Shenkman, E., Kelleher, K. J., Rao, S., Margolis, P. A., et al. (2023) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.24144081
Drubina, B., Kökönyei, G., Várnai, D., & Reinhardt, M. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.24820050
Schöen, T. H., Marteleto, M. R. F., Sapienza, G., Gimeniz-Paschoal, S. R., Fernandes, L. F. B., de Araújo, F. R., Campinas, M. T. D. S., Marin, A. H., & Ivanova, M. Y. (2025) · Psico · doi:10.15448/1980-8623.2025.1.47163
Dooley, N., Aghedo, B., Harrington, S. M., Johnson, A., Kirby, J., Owens, N., Solan, I., Staunton, G.-M., McEvoy, D., Cannon, M., et al. (2026) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-025-03026-8
Islam, L., Dalal, K., Rahman, S. H., Rakhshanda, S., Chowdhry, S. M., Rahman, A. F., & Mashreky, S. R. (2026) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-026-07819-2 · Cited by 1
Wang, Z., Chen, T., Rong, T., Zhu, J., Zhong, N., Du, J., Wang, G., & Zhao, M. (2026) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2026.121448
Pediatricians’ psychopharmacological practice: a pilot survey in Poland and Ukraine
Martsenkovsky, I., Remberk, B., Martsenkovska, I. I., & Martsenkovskyi, D. (2026) · BMC Family Practice · doi:10.1186/s12875-026-03243-3
Health Predict: A Temporal Forecasting Model for Optimizing Healthcare Resources
Panda, S., Pradhan, R., & Dash, A. K. (2026) · International Conference on Emerging Systems and Intelligent Computing (ESIC) · doi:10.1109/esic68176.2026.11496224
Tunç, H., Hanel, P. H. P., Morris, P. G., Kyranides, M. N., & Williams, J. M. (2026) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-026-09393-y
Pickavance, J., O’Nions, E., Hammad, M., Jackson, L., Lightfoot, K., McEachan, R., Orben, A. C., Ryan, D., Shire, K. A., Wood, M. L., et al. (2026) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-026-27547-2 · Cited by 1
Fairweather, S. J., Kwong, A., Deniz, E., Hammerton, G., Khandaker, G. M., & Jones, H. J. (2026) · medRxiv · doi:10.64898/2026.06.24.26356453
Richards, S., & Rowe, S.-J. (2026) · British Journal of Occupational Therapy · doi:10.1177/03080226261462326
Cunningham-Rowe, K., & Foulkes, L. (2026) · Child and Adolescent Mental Health · doi:10.1111/camh.70102 · Cited by 1
Fatima, S., Bühler, T., Baffsky, R., Cullen, P., & Torok, M. H. (2026) · School Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s12310-026-09906-x
Arancibia-Osorio, G., & Araya-Galleguillos, F. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-10819796/v1
Konowałek, Ł. (2026) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-026-03168-3
Young minds in distress: Exploring the global rise in youth mental health diagnoses
Chiang, H., Chien, Y., & Gau, S. S. (2026) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/s41380-026-03884-x
Hansen, P. B., Appel, A. M., Andersen, E. W., Dalsgaard, S., & Benros, M. E. (2026) · BMJ Mental Health · doi:10.1136/bmjment-2026-302658
Amini, J., Clarissa, S., Zilio, M., Luca, I. D., Baaj, L., Schumacher, A., Sinyor, M., Abi‐Jaoude, E., Anthony, S. J., Campisi, S. C., et al. (2026) · JAACAP Open · doi:10.1016/j.jaacop.2026.09.003
Sampson, K. N., Shotton, E., Moran, P., Solmi, F., Gilbody, S. M., Bould, H., & Wadman, R. (2026) · International Journal of Eating Disorders · doi:10.1002/eat.70212 · Cited by 1
Diot, T., Chaste, P., Milanesi, P., & Bellego, M. L. (2026) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-026-03193-2
Metadata
- Authors
- Cybulski, L., Ashcroft, D. M., Carr, M. J., Garg, S., Chew-Graham, C. A., Kapur, N., & Webb, R. T.
- Affiliations
- Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (GB)
- Keele University (GB)
- Venue
- BMC Psychiatry
- Published
- 2021-05-03
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 229-229
- ISSN
- 1471-244X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8092997
- OpenAlex
- W3159798238
- Cited by
- 170
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 46 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 31 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 5
- FWCI
- 16.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- Keele Research Repository (Keele University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR-INF-0701)
- Department of Health and Social Care
- Patient Safety Translational Research Centre
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Keywords
- mental illness, children and adolescents, incidence trends, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, self-harm, sex differences, mental health crisis, primary care, Clinical Practice Research Datalink, neurodevelopmental disorders, incidence rate ratio, United Kingdom
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adolescent, Adult, Anxiety Disorders, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Infant, Male, Incidence, Self-Injurious Behavior, Young Adult
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review