UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A study of 9,000 children shows common brain alterations in anxiety, depression, and ADHD, suggesting linked neurological patterns.
As reported by The Independent, researchers found that young people with anxiety, depression, ADHD, or conduct disorder show nearly identical structural brain changes.
What did the study reveal about brain changes in children?
A recent study shows children with anxiety, depression, ADHD, or conduct disorder have smaller brain regions linked to emotion, threat response, and body awareness.
Researchers at the University of Bath analysed brain scans of around 9,000 young people, making it the largest study of its kind, with roughly 50% diagnosed with mental health conditions.
The study, published in Biological Psychiatry, found mental health conditions shouldn’t be studied in isolation, as analysing them together can reveal multiple treatment strategies.
The researchers revealed that boys and girls show similar brain changes, linked to the same mental health conditions. The finding was unexpected, as past research suggested boys and girls with the same disorder could show different brain changes.
The study indicates boys are more likely to have ADHD and conduct disorder, while depression and anxiety are more common in adolescent girls.
The research involved 68 research teams globally through the ENIGMA Consortium, examining brain structure and genetic patterns.
What did researchers say about brain similarities in youth mental health?
Dr Sophie Townend, lead researcher of the study, stated,
“Our research shows that, even if they may look very different, the four most common mental health conditions of childhood and adolescence are very similar at the brain level. This suggests that we may be able to develop treatment or prevention strategies that are helpful for young people with a range of common disorders.”
Professor Stephane De Brito from the University of Birmingham, who also contributed to the research, added,
“At this point in time, while we can say that the brain is involved in all four of the disorders that we studied, it seems unlikely that these changes in brain structure can explain why there are important sex differences in the prevalence of these conditions.”
How does the NHS define anxiety, depression, ADHD, and conduct disorder?
The NHS defines generalised anxiety disorder as excessive worry that disrupts daily life, with symptoms like insomnia, irritability, restlessness, and poor concentration.
Depression, according to the NHS, involves persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest that can last weeks or months and disrupt daily life.
The NHS defines ADHD as a condition marked by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention, typically appearing before age 12, with symptoms like distractibility and forgetfulness.
Conduct disorder involves a recurring pattern of behaviour that violates social norms, with symptoms such as aggression, property damage, deceit, and theft.
How many people have mental disorder conditions in the UK?
Around 1 in 4 adults in England experience a diagnosable mental health problem in any given year, which is roughly 12–13 million people out of about 52 million adults.
Polls suggest about 1 in 6 working‑age adults (around 8–9 million people) have a common mental disorder such as depression or anxiety at any one time.
Self-reported poor mental health is also high: more than 1 in 7 UK adults say their mental health is currently bad or the worst it has ever been.