‘Children as young as four have problems with mental health’

CHILDREN as young as four are showing signs of mental health problems, a survey of teachers has shown.

Anxiety, panic attacks and depression are among the symptoms displayed by infant school pupils, according to a poll carried out by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT).

In one case, a teacher described how an eight-year-old climbed on the roof and said they wanted to kill themselves.

The poll also indicates that many teachers are aware of sexual harass- ment among students, and children sharing sexual messages, photos and videos.

Overall, 96 per cent of the more than 1,300 union members questioned said that they believe there are pupils that they come into contact with that are experiencing mental health issues. Of these, around one in seven said that pupils experiencing these difficulties were aged between four and seven, while more than a quarter (27 per cent) said they were aged seven to 11 years old.

The age group that teachers were most likely to say were affected were those aged 11 to 16. One per cent said that children under four were affected.

Asked about the type of mental health issues children are suffering from, around 92 per cent cited anxiety and panic attacks, while 80 per cent said depression.

In addition, around two thirds said children were self-harming, while just under half cited eating disorders and 45 per cent said pupils were showing signs of obsessive compulsive disorder.

One member told the union: “Access to mental health services is appalling for young children – an eight-year-old child climbing on to a roof and saying that they wanted to kill themselves was not deemed serious enough to get CAMHS [Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services] support.”

The poll also found that 86 per cent of teachers are aware of pupils they teach sharing messages, photos and videos of a sexual nature, while over a third were aware of students sexually harassing other pupils.

Chris Keates, general secretary of NASUWT, said: “Teachers have never before had to deal with such a complex range of pupil welfare issues as they do today.

“The pressure on teachers and head teachers is enormous and is putting at risk their own mental and physical health and well-being.”