# Mental Disorders Among Young People: Scientists Sound the Alarm

Psychotic disorders are increasingly affecting young people: Canadian scientists sound the alarm

An alarming trend has gripped the modern generation: young people are experiencing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, significantly more frequently and earlier than their parents and older siblings. This conclusion was reached by Canadian researchers who studied medical data from more than 12 million residents of Ontario province. The results of the study were published in the prestigious journal Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).

The large-scale study covered 12.2 million people born between 1960 and 2009. Over the entire observation period, psychotic disorders were diagnosed in 152,587 participants in the sample. Scientists discovered a distinct "generation effect": starting with those born in the 1980s, the frequency of new diagnoses began to steadily increase.

The most dramatic changes were recorded among teenagers and young adults. In the age group from 14 to 20 years, the number of new cases of psychosis skyrocketed by 60% — from 62.5 to 99.7 per 100,000 people in the period from 1997 to 2023. According to the authors' calculations, people born in 2000–2004 had approximately 70% higher risk of first encountering a psychotic disorder than those born in 1975–1979. By age 30, the total number of diagnosed psychoses in the 1990–1994 generation exceeded the indicators of the mid-1970s generation by 37.5%.

The increase in indicators affected both men and women, although men remained in the high-risk group throughout the entire period. Particularly pronounced differences were found for so-called non-affective psychoses — conditions not directly related to mood disorders, including schizophrenia. Such diagnoses were more often given to men, residents of low-income areas, long-term Canadian residents, as well as people with a history of other mental disorders and problems with substance use.

According to lead author of the study Daniel Myran, the increase in the number of diagnoses is cause for serious concern. Psychotic disorders are associated with high morbidity, risk of premature death, and require significant medical and social resources. However, there is no clear explanation for what is happening yet.

The authors emphasize that the results of the Canadian study are consistent with recent data from Denmark and Australia, where an increase in schizophrenia diagnosis among younger generations has also been recorded. They call for further research to understand the causes of what is happening and develop prevention measures and early support.