Have you seen the latest NHS Report on Mental Health in Young People?
Some keys points for me are:
- One in seven I14.4%) of 11 to 16 year olds were identified with a mental disorder. One in sixteen (6.2%) met the criteria for two or more mental disorders.
- Of these, the most common are emotional disorders, present in 9.0%. Then behaviour disorders at 6.2%.
- While between 11-16, girls and boys were equally likely to have a disorder, girls were more likely to have an emotional disorder and boys a behavioural or hyperactivity disorder.
- Between the ages of 17-19 about one is six (16.9%) had a mental disorder.
- However, young women of this age are a high risk group as it was found that nearly one in four (23.9%) had some type of mental disorder, 22.4% had an emotional disorder.
- Half (52.7%) of young women with a disorder reported having self-harmed or made a suicide attempt.
- The results are further broken down into sexual identity, ethnic group, socioeconomics and social and family context and other factors.
Adverse Life Events
The report states that “children with a mental disorder were that likely than those without one to have experience certain types of adversity in their lives, like parental separation or financial crisis at home.”
I have written many times about the impact of adversity childhood experiences and this report shows again how significant they can be. What is also worrying is the one in five of the children in the survey waited over six months for contact with a mental health specialist. This is unacceptable when the risk of self-harm and suicide in these children and young people is greatly increased by having a disorder.
We as a society need to do more.