In the second in our series, four young Britons reveal how the search has taken a toll on their mental and physical health

• ‘The social contract is broken’: young people on feeling shut out of careers

• Guardian to follow lives of eight young people in their search for jobs

“I had to quit and move back in with my parents because I had developed ME/chronic fatigue syndrome. I am now housebound and cannot look after myself. Although I cannot prove it, I strongly believe that prolonged period of high stress played a big part in the decline of my health.”