On the research on youth mental health: A scientometric analysis across mental disorders

In youth-i.e., adolescents and young adults-mental disorders represent a major burden on well-being and quality of life. This scientometric study aimed to map research trends concerning any mental disorder in youth. We searched the Web of Science Core Collection for studies published between 01/01/1985 and 28/08/2025, using keywords on mental disorders and youth. Co-citation reference networks were extracted. R-bibliometrix/CiteSpace were used. 65,684 studies were included, forming a well-structured co-reference network. A trend in the 1980s concerned the prevalence/outcomes of specific mental disorders such as depressive and anxiety disorders. In the 1990s/2000s, research trends concerned assessment tools, pharmacotherapy (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics), bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. In the 2010s, early intervention for psychosis was a dominant focus, influencing prevention in mental health. The 2010s also focused on ADHD, eating disorders, gaming disorder, autism, depression and suicide, fMRI, and transgender health, beyond gender dysphoria. In the 2020s, a recent trend has increasingly focused on global evidence on the age at onset and burden across mental disorders, access to care, network analysis, and COVID-19. Over time, research has broadened the focus from adolescence to youth across mental health problems. Both disorder-specific and transdiagnostic research trends were observed. Novel trends in 2023-2025 included substance use, lifestyle psychiatry, evidence synthesis and non-suicidal self-injury. Most studies were conducted in Western countries. Underrepresented research areas included the involvement of youth with lived/living experience in identifying meaningful outcomes, open science, implementation research, economic evaluations, machine-learning approaches, and social determinants of mental health.