At The Prince's Trust, we have become increasingly concerned about the link between youth unemployment and mental health.

The number of young people out of work has reached record highs in the last few years, and more than 900,000 young people are still struggling to find a job. We work with some of the most vulnerable of these young people, and regularly witness the devastating impact of unemployment on their health and wellbeing.

Some health commissioners are now including vocational recovery in their plans and there is potential for joint public and private sector working to help many more vulnerable young people live happier lives.

It is no surprise being out of work can knock a young person's confidence and make them feel anxious about the future.

However, the findings of last month's Prince's Trust Macquarie Youth Index ring more serious alarm bells about the effect of unemployment on mental health.

The research revealed that 40% of jobless young people have faced symptoms of mental illness – including suicidal thoughts, feelings of self-loathing and panic attacks – as a direct result of  unemployment.

According to the study, long-term unemployed young people are more than twice as likely as their peers to have been prescribed anti-depressants, and one in three have contemplated suicide.

They are also more than twice as likely as their peers to believe they have nothing to live for. The results prove that youth unemployment is a public health issue, and one that requires urgent attention.

This urgency is increased by other recent research showing that adolescence and emerging adulthood are the peak periods for onset of mental ill-health; 75% of all adult diagnoses of mental ill-health have an onset before the age of 25.

While we can't pretend that finding a job is the answer to all mental health problems, we do know that helping young people into work has a positive impact on their wellbeing.

At The Prince's Trust, we work with some of the most disadvantaged young people, who are already more likely to face mental health issues.

Many of the young people we help have had difficult childhoods and lack family support, making them less resilient to the sense of isolation, loss of confidence and feelings of rejection that often come with being out of work.

In our experience, problems with mental health are often part of a much bigger picture
in a young person's life, linked to socioeconomic factors such as their education, their family situation and income.

We cannot improve young people's mental health without tackling these problems too, which is why our programmes do not focus on mental health alone.

We run a range of programmes for 13-30-year-olds – from intensive personal development courses for the most vulnerable to practical support for unemployed young people looking to set up in business.

What they all have in common is that they help disadvantaged young people to gain the skills confidence and motivation they need to succeed, while tackling any issues that are holding them back in life.

Time and time again, we see these courses change the way young people think about their lives – often in a matter of weeks.

Last year, for example, 69% of young people we helped said they were ‘more satisfied' with their lives after taking part in a Prince's Trust programme, while 72% had improved confidence and motivation.

Even more importantly, three in four of the young people we helped moved into jobs or training.

This brings further benefits for their mental health, because being in work offers stability, routine, a greater sense of self-worth and a better standard of living – all of which contribute to a general sense of wellbeing.

Charities like The Prince's Trust are already making huge progress in tackling youth mental health across the UK. This year, we will help 58,000 young people, and around one in five of these will have mental health needs.

And as more health agencies recognise the value of vocational recovery in their commissioning, many more of the most vulnerable young people will get the help they need to turn their lives around.

Of course youth unemployment is not just a public health issue and health and wellbeing boards have a real opportunity to harness the targets of other teams; regeneration and housing departments, community safety teams and children and family services.

All can demonstrate their interest in helping young people to stabilise their lives and find work. And charities like The Prince's Trust are well placed to bring the goodwill of businesses and targets of other public funding to make the most of tight budgets.

We have already worked on a number of pilot programmes with health agencies across the UK, and we hope to create new partnerships in 2014.

Improving youth mental health and tackling youth unemployment are huge challenges, but health agencies and the wider public sector, along with charities and employers, have a huge role to play. By working together, we can secure a brighter future for vulnerable young people, their families and communities.

David Mellis is head of statutory and contracting – Fairbridge at The Prince's Trust