Youth Mental Health Crisis ‘Most Pronounced in Wealthier Countries’: An Interview with Sapien Labs

Sapien Labs today released a sobering new report on the global decline in youth mental health.  It attributes the decline in large part to early screen use, fraying family bonds, diminished spirituality and a diet heavy in ultraprocessed foods. The study reported that young adults under 35 “took a sharp nosedive during the pandemic from which they have never recovered.” 

“Today almost half suffer mental health challenges of clinical significance that substantially impact their ability to function productively in daily life.This is over four-fold higher than their parents and grandparents,“ Sapien Labs said in the report. “The surprising aspect of this decline in younger generations is that it is most pronounced in the wealthier and more developed countries, where increased spending on mental health care has not moved the needle,” Sapien Labs observed. “Altogether this presents as a pattern of diminishing mind health in each younger generation. As these younger adults grow older, what will society become?”

MindSite News writer Courtney Wise interviewed Tara Thiagarajan, Ph.D., founder and chief scientist of Sapien Labs, via email. Their conversation follows. 

From the data, what did research show from nations demonstrating high mental wellness among younger adults that youth in the United States can apply to their lives? I’m especially curious about what can be gleaned from their insights on spirituality and diet.

No nation shows ‘high’ mental wellness among younger adults. However, those that are higher than others are those where young adults indicate one or more of the following higher spirituality, higher family closeness, lower UPF (ultra-processed foods consumption and higher age of smartphone in childhood (or conversely less of childhood spent using smartphones). 

For example, young adults in Tanzania have an average Mind Health Quotient (MHQ) of 62 compared to 36 in the USA. They also have Spirituality ratings of 7.6 on a 9 point scale compared to 5 for USA and got their smartphones at age 18.4 compared to age 12.8 in the USA, and only 50% consume UPF regularly compared to 79% in the USA.

How can I explain the effect of ultra-processed foods on mind health to a group of high schoolers that helps them understand the science and makes clear – to them and their parents – what they can do right now to change? What about if they’re largely dependent on adults to buy their food? Is processed sugar the biggest culprit?

Processed sugar is certainly a big culprit but there are also other big culprits including various food dyes, flavors and preservatives. 

Is it simply that people in nations with higher Mind Health Quotients eat much fresher foods and that factor is adding supportive data to what science is still learning about the gut-mind connection? Or, are they preparing and eating food in community, and these human connections explain their mental wellbeing?

It is both and also (owning and using smartphones at) an older age.

You note in the press release that “young adults often experience challenges on many other fronts, from emotional control to handling relationships with others to their ability to focus.” Did young adults mention why they struggle with emotional control or handling relationships?

The study is designed to identify the challenges and then probe environmental and social factors that are related to these challenges. One thing we find is that emotional control and focus are very strongly associated with ultra-processed food. UPF additives have a number of effects on the brain with several being neurotoxic or causing disruption to signaling in addition to inflammation. These effects likely degrade the capacity for control and regulation of both thoughts and emotions. Think of it like a car that has been rusted and broken down – it will not have the same control as one that is well maintained.

What did young adults from higher Mind Health Quotient nations say about their beliefs, gleaned from family or faith, that enables them to be resilient against trauma – or even just a really frustrating day?

Having close family relationships and faith are strongly associated with higher MHQ scores. It is not what they say but rather simply the more collectivist, community-oriented environments that they live in that confer this benefit.

In essence, what have the report’s authors learned from the data in this survey that readers of our newsletter can apply to their lives to see improvement in their mental health?

The key learnings are that the foundations of strong mental health are quite simple – the brain needs clean food (and clean air and water) to function effectively, so eating clean food rather than stuffing it with toxic additives helps. Similarly the mind needs strong human connection and ‘nutritious’ stimulus, so stuffing the brain full of unhealthy content at the expense of human connection and meaningful content will also disconnect the mind from reality and result in a host of problems.