It will take more than resilience to fix our mental health crisis.

Tower Bridge is London’s defining landmark. A key part of the capital’s transport infrastructure, it’s used by 40,000 people daily to cross the Thames. As well as being part of London’s inner ring road, it opens 900 times annually, providing passage to shipping.

The bridge road sections or Bascules are held in place by 2 metre long bolts which require periodic replacement to ensure safe and reliable operation. A thorough programme of preventive maintenance ensures the resilience of the structure keeping the capital’s traffic moving.

While we have effective strategies for managing the resilience of the built environment, our ability to adapt and improve structures to meet the needs of  children and young people is woefully under-developed. In part this is because the incoming Labour government over-promised and under-delivered. In part, it’s because our creaking curriculum has failed to evolve to meet needs and retain relevance.

Sharp rises in rates of anxiety, depression and other disorders have led to one in four young people in England having a common mental health condition, according to the NHS, with young women more likely to report them than young men. The study found that rates of such conditions in 16- to 24-year-olds have risen by more than a third in a decade, from 18.9% in 2014 to 25.8% in 2024.

Some people question whether we are dealing with a genuine mental health crisis,  attributing the rising figures to a lack of resilience and the over-pathologising of mental health and anxiety. While evidence for over-pathologising in young people is limited, some suggest that it might be a side-effect of increased awareness of mental health issues.

Focusing on resilience as a solution to the mental health crisis has many supporters but over-emphasising it risks shifting responsibility for mental health onto those affected, rather than calling out and changing policies and systems contributing to poor mental health. We also know that those living in poverty have more limited access to resources that support healthy development. That’s 4.5 million children.

Children and Young People are beset by a diverse range of concerns. They cover everything from global conflict and climate change to managing social media and AI. Learning resilience skills is a component in the ability to manage new challenges but it is not the only attribute required.

We need to be focussing on the key skills underpinning mental health and well-being including understanding and managing emotional awareness and recognition of the impact of negative thoughts. We must also recognise that well-being improves when we do things for others and are guided in finding wholesome purpose and direction in our lives.

Teachers and others working in our schools, colleges and social care are doing their best to provide support to the next generation but as well as investment in mental health support, systemic change is needed to the curriculum, examination and welfare systems.

Just as the maintenance programme for Tower Bridge has evolved to take account of changing pressures, so must the way we fund and run services for children and young people.