10pc of teenage girls ‘referred for mental health help’

Youngsters are struggling to access support, even when they have reached crisis point, says charity

ONE in 10 teenage girls is being referred for specialist mental health help, figures show. The official statistics, the first published on such referrals, reveal that around one in five of those referred for such help last year were under the age of 18.

The statistics follow warnings of a “heartbreaking” rise in self-harm among teenage girls, with a 68 per cent increase in cases since 2011. In total, 11.4 per cent of 16- to 17-year-old girls in England were referred to specialist mental health services last year, the NHS Digital figures show. Among girls aged 14 to 15, the figure was 10 per cent.

Around 8 per cent of boys aged between 14 and 17 were referred for such help. The figures from NHS Digital are the first time statistics have been published on children being referred to mental health services. They show that around one in five (556,790) referrals last year were under the age of 18. In total, 4.8 per cent of people in England were known to have accessed secondary mental health, learning disabilities and autism services last year.

A spokesman for the NSPCC, the children’s charity, said many youngsters were still struggling to access key mental health services, even at the point of crisis.

He said: “These findings sadly reflect what children have told our Childline service, with one in three counselling sessions last year relating to mental and emotional health and well-being issues. Many children have told us they are struggling to access support, even at crisis point. Without improvements in how services are funded, planned and delivered, thousands of children will continue to struggle.” A forthcoming government Green Paper on children’s mental health must set out how support systems for young people would be improved so “no child suffers in silence”, he said.

Across all age groups, older people were the most likely to be referred for specialist mental health help.

Earlier this year, a study by University College London found one in four teenage girls believe they are suffering from depression. The research, which tracked more than 10,000 teenagers, found widespread emotional problems among young people. Charities said girls in particular were struggling to cope with today’s pressures, with social media and bullying at school fuelling intense distress.

Earlier this month, Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, urged Facebook to raise the alarm when children spent too long glued to social media, in a bid to “turn the tide” on damage caused by overexposure to the internet.