Girls face ‘mental anguish’ daily, study finds

Parents are worrying more about drug and alcohol use by their teenage daughters than the more prevalent “mental anguish” they face every day, a survey suggests.

Young girls said mental health, cyberbullying, and jobs were the biggest worries in their lives, and an increasing number considered self-harm and depression as the most significant health issues facing their peers, above drug or alcohol abuse.

Sarah Brennan, CEO of mental health charity YoungMinds, said the findings of the Girlguiding’s Girls’ Attitude Survey 2015 were a “wake-up call” and highlighted the “mental anguish so many girls face every day”.