The Case for a Non-Medical Approach to Tackling Mental Health in the UK

Empowr Report 2025

Executive Summary

Over the past decade, the UK has seen a marked rise in mental health challenges—especially among young people and working-age adults. Despite increases in medical interventions, including a record rise in antidepressant use and NHS service contacts, the prevalence of common mental health disorders continues to climb. The data highlights an urgent need for alternative, non-medical strategies. This report makes the argument that experiential learning(EL) offers a powerful, evidence-based, and cost-effective approach to building mental and emotional resilience—helping people of all ages to not just cope, but truly thrive.

1. The State of Mental Health in the UK (2015–2025)

• One in four adults experience a mental‑health problem each year.
• One in six adults report a common mental‑health issue each week.
• Among young people, probable mental disorder prevalence has risen sharply: 8–16-year-olds from 12.5 % (2017) to 20.3 % (2023); 17–19-year-olds from 10.1 % (2017) to 23.3 % (2023). digital.nhs.uk.
• Young women and vulnerable groups (LGBTQIA+, ethnic minorities) show disproportionately high risk.
• Antidepressant use has more than doubled since 2015—prescriptions for 12- to 17-year-olds have risen fastest—and, in 2023/24, over 8.7 million patients in England (≈15 % of the population) received an antidepressant prescription. thetimes.co.uknelondoner.co.uk, nelondoner.co.uk.
• Contacts with NHS mental health services have risen by ~45 % since 2019, from 1.36 million (Mar 2019) to 1.97 million (Nov 2024). Contacts denote people actively receiving support in a given month, not simply referrals. Access by children and young people has more than tripled since 2016 (≈142k → 466k). digital.nhs.uk, digital.nhs.uk, digital.nhs.uk.
• Suicide rates reached their highest level since 1999 in 2023: 11.4 per 100 000 people, with male suicides at 17.4 per 100 000. ons.gov.uk.

2. The Shortcomings of a Medicalised Response

While medical treatments are essential for many, current trends show:

• Widening demand-supply gap in NHS services, with long wait times and rising disability claims for mental ill-health.
• Over-reliance on prescription medications, especially in young people, despite only partial efficacy and potential long-term dependency.
• Continued year-on-year increases in prevalence, showing that medication and therapy alone are insufficient.

3. The Science and Necessity of Experiential Learning