Academic pressure and adolescent depression, self-harm and suicide (360G-Wellcome-223248_Z_21_Z)

My fellowship will test the hypothesis that academic pressure is a common, modifiable causal risk factor for adolescent depression, self-harm and suicide. If my hypothesis is correct, academic pressure could be modified in whole-school interventions and through longer-term changes to policy. I will test my hypothesis using advanced methods from epidemiology, data science and causal inference, to triangulate evidence across different settings, samples and designs. I will also collaborate with a multidisciplinary network of key stakeholders, to inform my research and translate my findings into school and policy interventions. The key goals of my project are to: 1\. Conduct the first longitudinal studies of whether academic pressure increases the risk of depression and self-harm and is therefore a novel candidate for prevention. 2\. Investigate how timing within the school year relates to clinical presentations for depression, anxiety and self-harm, and adolescent suicide rates 3\. Work with key stakeholders to: \- Complete patient and public involvement \- Define the components of academic pressure and its sources and drivers \- Investigate what schools currently do to mitigate the impact of academic pressure on the mental health and well-being of students and teachers \- Achieve knowledge mobilisation Key words: adolescent, depression, self- harm, suicide, prevention, epidemiology, schools.