London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 25, 2025

Evidence of UK’s child mental health crisis is stark and compelling

Evidence of UK’s child mental health crisis is stark and compelling

Analysis: addressing the sobering reality is a challenge for ministers, the NHS and society as a whole
Britain’s children are becoming unhappier, more anxious, more depressed, and more likely to self-harm, suffer from an eating disorder or have suicidal thoughts. Addressing that sobering reality is a challenge not only for the government and the NHS but for society as a whole. Evidence for the ongoing deterioration in youth wellbeing is detailed, considerable and overwhelming.

The Children’s Society has found that happiness levels among children and young people have declined to the extent that 7% of 10- to 15-year-olds in the UK are unhappy with their lives. They identify school, appearance and friends as the main drivers of their discontent. Experts also cite other reasons for the fact that growing numbers of school-age children are unhappy – bullying, problems at home, sexual assault and damage inflicted by social media to name but a few.

Concern about the phenomenon had been growing for years before Covid struck in March 2020, and the pandemic has made a bad situation an awful lot worse. NHS Digital’s most recent survey of the mental heath of children and young people in England, published last September and based on data collected in February and March 2021, provided stark evidence of the sharp downturn. There were 534,000 under-18s in touch with services before the pandemic, a figure that has risen to 650,000.

Rates of probable mental disorders among six- to 16-year-olds increased from 11.6%, or one in nine, in 2017 to 17.4%, or one in six, the health service’s statistical research agency found. Among the same age group, 39.2% experienced a downturn in their mental health while only 21.8% reported an improvement. Among 17- to 23-year-olds the picture was even more pronounced: 52.5% said their mental health had declined and only 15.2% that it had improved. The proportion with possible eating problems had also risen in both age groups.

About 1.5 million under-18s will need new or extra help with their mental health as a direct result of Covid, according to the Centre for Mental Health thinktank. The record 420,314 young people being treated every month by NHS services are likely to be part of the total, but even if they all are that still leaves almost 1.1 million more yet to seek help.

Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), however, are already unable to help all those seeking care. Many would-be patients are rejected for not being ill enough despite their distress, vulnerability and worrying behaviour – backdoor rationing to try to reduce the huge pressure on the system. Delays of as long as 81 days await those who are deemed eligible. Given the lack of capacity, what chance does this Covid-induced wave of new cases have of getting the treatment they need?

There are some hopeful signs. The money going into children’s mental heath services is rising. NHS England is making good progress in using new support teams to provide help in schools and colleges with problems such as anxiety and depression. Claire Murdoch, the NHS’s national mental health director, is passionately committed to improving the situation.

The Commons health select committee noted last December that “the number of young people receiving treatment has risen from just 25% to around 40% of those with a diagnosable condition pre-pandemic”. But, the MPs added, “it is not acceptable that more than half of young people do not receive the mental health support they need” – a damning observation.

The NHS is increasingly characterised by care gaps – the mismatch between needs and its ability to meet them quickly – as illustrated by the long waits for elective surgery, GP appointments, A&E treatment and ambulances to arrive. CAMHS is another case in point.

It is hampered in its ability to offer fast, high-quality and appropriate care to all who need it by its longstanding lack of everything needed to run a responsive service: staff, community-based teams to keep people out of hospital and beds for those ill enough to need a spell as an inpatient.

Given that, and Covid’s devastating impact on our collective mental health, it would be naive to expect the NHS to be able to treat the pandemic’s many young casualties any better and any more quickly than it can now.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
×