Referrals to children's mental health services are up 70% in five years
A record-breaking number of referrals to children's mental-health services – nearly 1.3 million – were made over the last school year, according to newly-released NHS data. The number represents a 71% uptick on 2018/19, five years ago.
Responding to these alarming statistics, youth mental-health charity YoungMinds has created a striking artwork installation of a young person crushed under the weight of their burdens at Kings Cross station in London, to highlight the crisis.
The artwork is covered in items representing the competing pressures causing the mental-health crisis, from climate change to housing, social media and academic pressure. Members of the public are invited to remove and inspect these components, so as to 'take on' some of these stressors in support of the statue of the youth stifled beneath.
Additionally, YoungMinds surveyed over 1,000 UK primary and secondary school teachers, to ask which factors they believe to be primarily impacting children's mental health. Of those surveyed, family problems, bullying and social media were cited as the leading three issues.
The charity's findings also confirm that there are insufficient resources to address the deepening mental-health crisis. Forty-six per cent of teachers surveyed believed that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), the mental-health service they refer young people to, were unsuitable.
How is young girls' mental health being affected?
For our latest campaign, The State of Modern Girlhood, Women's Health teamed up with YoungMinds to examine the mental-health issues affecting women and girls today. Its poll of over 1,700 adults starkly pointed out the alarming realities of what it is like to be a young woman and the toll it's taking on their parents.
Note: mentions of suicide, self-harm and sexual violence
Those polled flagged social media, body image pressures and misogyny as the key forces fuelling the crisis.
Nearly a third of family members (31%) polled said that a girl in their lives had self-harmed, and girls are more than twice as likely as boys to make an attempt on their life.
Over a quarter of girls experience sexual harassment between ages 13 and 18, with sexual violence linked to the crisis in teen mental health.
31% believe regulating harmful content on social media platforms would make the biggest difference to girls’ mental health and 16% support banning smartphones for the under 16s.
Laura Bunt, Chief Executive of YoungMinds said, 'Mental health is one of the biggest issues impacting young people’s lives today. Whilst the numbers in need of support have been spiralling, the people in charge of making things better have fallen short.'
She spoke of the situation's multifactorial culpability: 'From the cost-of-living to the climate crisis, from global insecurity to social media, from academic pressure to worries about the future, these pressures are taking their toll on the mental health of a whole generation.'
Rather than allowing young people to continue feeling as if they were facing these pressures alone, she emphasised the need for collective assistance: 'We want everyone to care about young people’s mental health and also show that underneath those pressures, there is hope, defiance and power'.
'We also need clear action from the Government and bold solutions that really impact young people’s lives,' she continued, urging authorities to take action. 'The prime minister must earn back young people’s trust by fulfilling his promise to roll out open access early support hubs across the country. We also want a commitment to tackle the problems impacting young people before they begin and put their voices at the heart of the policies that affect them.'
Concerned about a girl in your life?
If you're worried, take these steps, from the experts at YoungMinds.
Trust your gut
‘While behaviour may fall into the “typical teenage” kind, trust your instinct,’ advises YoungMinds’ Stevie Goulding.
Contact your GP
They should be your first port of call – able to point you in the direction of support while you wait to be seen by CAMHS.
Speak to their school
Most have safeguarding in place and someone should be able to direct you to local services.
Explore therapy
If you have the funds, you can find a private therapist through the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
Access free support
Get in touch via the YoungMinds helpline: 0808 802 5544, open Monday-Friday between 9:30am and 4pm
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