Young black people are considerably more likely to experience mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, according to a Mental Health Foundation study.

The charity found that 23.4% of people from African and African-Caribbean backgrounds interviewed by NatCen described their mental health as "bad", compared to 14.1% of white respondents and 15.1% of Asian people surveyed.

Asian people were also the least likely group (6%) to describe their mental health as "good".

More generally, the report said mental health was a growing problem that was more likely to affect those under the age of 55. Seventy per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds and 68% of 35- to 54-year-olds said they’d suffered a mental health problem.

Previous research has shown that black men are 17 times more likely than their white counterparts to be diagnosed with a serious mental illness.

Malick Denton, a 27-year-old artist and rapper from London who has lived with depression on and off for five years, told BuzzFeed News: “It saddens me so much seeing how intolerable black people are to mental health issues at times.”

“I completely get it,” he added. “We were raised to be tough.”

Denton said he feels that taboos around mental health make it harder for people to ask for help. “The issue we have is people don’t feel they can come out and speak.”

Since opening up about his depression during a live show last year, Denton said many of his friends have shared their own journeys with him.

Ganiyat Alli, a 27-year-old host and event coordinator from London, echoed Denton’s remarks and called for “more unity and understanding on how to prevent mental health [problems], as it is the small things that make a difference".