by Perlea, Victor ¹, Mayer, Gwendolyn ¹

• ¹ Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg

This is the extended version, for the abridged version click here

Disclaimer:We have compiled this information to the best of our knowledge based on current scientific literature (as of May 2026). However, we do not provide diagnosis or treatment recommendations. If you notice any mental health concerns in yourself or in a child or adolescent in your care, please consult a medical doctor.

Introduction

This Knowledge Management Ecosystem Portal (KM-EP) provides an evidence-based overview of the most common mental and neurodevelopmental disorders in adolescence and young adulthood, including ADHD, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorders, depression, eating disorders, gaming disorder, and substance use disorders. It summarizes key risk factors, diagnostic criteria, prevention strategies, and treatment approaches, while also exploring the potential of serious gaming as an innovative tool for promoting mental health.

Adolescents at risk

Adolescence refers to the period from late childhood through puberty to full adulthood. Adolescence is therefore neither one condition nor the other: young people are no longer children, but not yet adults.
This transitional period is characterised by major physical changes, the search for recognition from peers, the first intimate relations, but also the detachment from parental values – in short, the search for one's own identity. During this time, young people are particularly susceptible to psychological distress.
According to the WHO, one in seven people aged 10–19 is affected by mental illness, and an alarmingly high number of them commit suicide: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
In addition, in many cases, mental illness first manifests itself in adolescence and may shape later adulthood negatively. A recent review found that across more than 700 thousand participants included, 34.6% of individuals with a mental disorder first fell ill before the age 14 years: Solmi et al. 2022, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7
The burden of disease of mental disorders is present in all age groups, occurring in some cases before the age of 5 and continuing into old age. The burden of disease increases steadily during childhood and adolescence, peaking between the ages of 25 and 34. (GBD 2019: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(21)00395-3/fulltext)

What are the most impactful risk factors for adolescent mental health?

Key findings from the literature show:
• Problematic use and passive consumption of social media negatively impacts mental health of adolescents (Agyapong-Opoku, 2025: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15050574)
• Sleep disturbances, adverse childhood experiences, and family conflicts have the greatest negative impact, whereas prosocial behaviour and parental monitoring have the highest positive effect on mental health in young people (Hill et al., 2025: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03560-7)
• Socioeconomic disadvantage, more precisely low parental socioeconomic status, is linked to increased risk of mental health problems in adolescents: Grüning Parache et al., 2023: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02329-y)
• Especially young adults are affected by climate change anxiety (Meo et al. 2023: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1422338)

The most common mental and neurodevelopmental disorders in adolescence

ADHD
Anxiety disorders
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Depressive disorders
Eating disorders
Internet Gaming disorder
Substance use disorder

Further information

Serious gaming in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders

References for this article are here