Over the past decades, extensive efforts (e.g., campaigns) have been made to improve public understanding and awareness of mental health problems. Paradoxically, over the same period, reported rates of mental health problems—especially anxiety and depression—have risen significantly among adolescents. The prevalence inflation hypothesis suggests that awareness efforts may not only have improved recognition of existing problems but also, for some youth, led to the overinterpretation of mild symptoms as disorders—thus inflating prevalence estimates. Overinterpretation can be problematic, as it may trigger self-fulfilling prophecies and worsen symptoms over time. The prevalence inflation hypothesis remains untested and overlooks the influence of adolescents' close environments—schools, parents, and peers. HIPES will examine how these proximal contexts shape accurate recognition versus overinterpretation, and how social interactions mediate the effects of self-labelling on mental health.

2026

2030