Young adults across the world are struggling with worsening mental health and daily life challenges, with the sharpest declines seen in wealthier nations, according to a new report by Sapien Labs.

The United States-based non-profit assessed mental well-being through its Mind Health Quotient (MHQ), a measure of emotional, social, cognitive and physical capacities needed to function effectively in life, work and relationships. The findings are based on online surveys conducted across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

The study shows a clear generational divide. Adults aged 55 and older have maintained an average MHQ score of around 100 since measurements began in 2019, reflecting what researchers consider a normal population range. By contrast, young adults aged 18 to 34 recorded an average score of just 36. Around 41 per cent of respondents in that age group reported significant mental health challenges.

Tara Thiagarajan, founder and chief scientist of Sapien Labs and lead author of the report, said the crisis extends beyond rising diagnoses of depression and anxiety. She described it as a progressive generational decline that worsened sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and has not reversed.

Young people in Europe ranked poorly compared with peers on other continents. Several European countries were among the lowest performers in the survey of 84 nations. Italy was the highest-ranked European country at 20th place. Finland ranked 40th, while Portugal and Spain were joint 46th. Belgium stood at 52 and France at 58. Near the bottom were Ireland at 70, Germany at 71 and the United Kingdom at 81.

In contrast, young people in sub-Saharan Africa recorded stronger outcomes despite living in the region with the lowest per capita income globally. Researchers said the decline among younger generations appears most severe in developed economies, even though spending on mental health services has increased.

The report identified four main drivers of poor mental health among young adults: weak family bonds, low levels of spirituality, early smartphone access and high consumption of ultra-processed foods. Respondents who reported poor family relationships were nearly four times more likely to fall into distressed categories. Those who described themselves as spiritual or connected to a higher power tended to perform better on the MHQ scale.

Early smartphone use was also linked to poorer outcomes later in life. Among Generation Z, the average age of receiving a first smartphone was 14, with European averages between 12 and 13 years.

The study also linked rising consumption of ultra-processed foods over the past 15 years to between 15 and 30 per cent of the overall mental health burden.

Researchers concluded that addressing environmental and social factors shaping young lives may be as important as expanding treatment services.

New research suggests that playing the video game Tetris can help reduce intrusive memories of trauma, with symptoms significantly decreasing within weeks and many participants remaining symptom-free after six months. The study, published in The Lancet Psychiatry, tested a treatment called Imagery Competing Task Intervention (ICTI), which targets vivid, unwanted memories that are a core feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The treatment was developed at Uppsala University in Sweden in collaboration with research organisation P1vital and trialled with the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. It focuses on psychological trauma such as witnessing sudden death or experiencing violent events, which can lead to involuntary flashbacks that disrupt daily life.

“Even a single, fleeting intrusive memory of past trauma can exert a powerful impact by hijacking attention and leaving people at the mercy of unwanted emotions,” said Emily Holmes, professor of psychology at Uppsala University and lead author of the study. She explained that ICTI works by weakening the intrusive aspect of sensory memories through a brief visual intervention, reducing the frequency and intensity of trauma flashbacks.

The trial involved healthcare workers who had experienced traumatic events during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were divided into three groups: one underwent the ICTI mental intervention, another listened to classical music, and the third received standard care.

Results showed a substantial reduction in intrusive memories among participants using ICTI, from an average of 14 per week to just one per week after four weeks—ten times fewer than the other groups. Six months later, 70 percent of the ICTI group reported being completely free of intrusive memories.

Holmes described the intervention as “gentle, brief, and practical,” designed to fit into participants’ busy lives. The treatment centres on Tetris, a game requiring players to rotate falling shapes to fit them into a grid. Participants first recalled a traumatic memory briefly, then applied mental rotation—a cognitive skill—to play Tetris for about 20 minutes per session. Occupying the brain’s visuospatial areas competes with the visual flashbacks, reducing their vividness, emotional impact, and frequency.

Beyond reducing intrusive images, the study found broader benefits for PTSD symptoms. Participants reported improvements in anxiety, depression, and overall functioning by the fourth week, regardless of initial PTSD severity. The researchers suggest that by addressing intrusive memories directly, other aspects of trauma-related distress can also be alleviated.

The findings indicate that a short, practical, and non-verbal intervention like Tetris-based ICTI could become an accessible tool for people struggling with trauma, offering hope for reducing flashbacks and improving daily life without lengthy therapy or medication.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in foodborne bacteria continues to be a significant public health concern in Europe, limiting treatment options for common infections, according to a new report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The report highlights that a high proportion of Salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria from humans and animals remain resistant to ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic commonly used to treat severe infections. Salmonella and Campylobacter are among the leading causes of foodborne illness, typically contracted through raw or undercooked meat, poultry, and eggs, or by consuming unpasteurised milk.

In 2024, over one in five human Salmonella infections showed resistance to ciprofloxacin. Multidrug resistance, which reduces the effectiveness of multiple antibiotics, affected nearly one in five cases overall. In the case of Campylobacter, resistance has become so widespread that ciprofloxacin is no longer recommended for treating human infections. Both bacteria also show growing resistance to other antibiotics, including ampicillin, tetracyclines, and sulfonamides.

“Antimicrobial resistance in common foodborne bacteria highlights the close links between human, animal, and food systems,” said Piotr Kramarz, chief scientist at ECDC. He emphasised that protecting the effectiveness of antibiotics requires coordinated action through a strong One Health approach, which recognises the interconnectedness of human health, animal health, food production, and the environment.

The report shows that resistance patterns vary widely between countries, bacterial species, and types of antimicrobials. Differences in farming practices, animal health measures, antimicrobial use, and prevention strategies all influence these patterns.

Foodborne illnesses in Europe continue to rise. In 2024, the European Union recorded 168,396 human cases of Campylobacter and 79,703 cases of Salmonella, continuing a trend of steady increases since 2020. Experts attribute the rise to changing eating habits, such as increased consumption of ready-to-eat meals, as well as unhygienic food handling practices and a growing population of older adults more vulnerable to infection.

The report also notes that non-animal products, including vegetables, were linked to the highest number of deaths in food poisoning outbreaks last year. However, Salmonella was responsible for most multi-country outbreaks overall, with eggs and egg products identified as the main source.

ECDC and EFSA emphasise that addressing antimicrobial resistance in foodborne bacteria will require collaboration across public health, veterinary, and agricultural sectors. Coordinated monitoring, improved food safety measures, and prudent use of antibiotics in humans and animals are key steps to limit the spread of resistance and protect the effectiveness of life-saving treatments.