MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES WIDESPREAD

AMONG KIDS IN ENGLAND

One in eight children in England is living with a mental health problem, according to a report that shows an increase in the conditions over the last decade. In a class of 30 children, this means four could be expected to be contending with emotional disorders, such as depression and anxiety, behavioural or hyperactive disorders that are impacting their wellbeing.

Among pre-school children, one in 18 (5.5 per cent) now have at least one disorder, which has collected data for young children and older teens for the first time. It was released within hours of a separate report by the children’s commissioner’s office that warned spending on adults’ mental health is three times higher than on children’s. Unmet support needs can put children at risk and affect their success in later life, the authors of the report said, after finding that a quarter of 11- to 16-year-olds with a mental health disorder had self-harmed or attempted suicide. Among teens aged 17 to 19 with a disorder, that figure is as high as 46.8 per cent, with young women the most at risk.