It’s now official that we are seeing the highest number of young people being treated for mental health issues a year in England after the NHS published figures stating that the figure is up to almost 400,000.
Furthermore, this number doesn’t look like it’s going to go down any time soon as approximately 50,000 children and young people a month are being referred to treatment and often by their GP, with the most common conditions being anxiety, depression and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. This compared to the number of people being discharged a month following treatment – around 42,000 – shows that it’s an issue that will continue to grow until something significant changes.
Young Mind’s campaigns director, Tom Madders, stated that: “These figures are a stark reminder of the extent of the mental health crisis, with more children than ever before accessing services … We know that many more families can’t get the support they need,” adding: “Every day we hear from parents whose children have waited months for an assessment, been turned down for treatment or been told by their GPs that there’s no point asking for a referral because services in their area are so overstretched.” And he isn’t exaggerating, in fact, NHS England outlined the fact that only one in four people under 18 with a diagnosable mental health problem receives treatment, a worrying number we hope can change soon.
