Record 420,000 children a month in England treated for mental health problems
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Experts say many others are denied help, and ‘relentless’ rise in demand could overwhelm NHS.
By Denis Campbell, Health policy editor
More than 400,000 children and young people a month are being treated for mental health problems – the highest number on record – prompting warnings of an unprecedented crisis in the wellbeing of under-18s.
Experts say Covid-19 has seriously exacerbated problems such as anxiety, depression and self-harm among school-age children and that the ‘relentless and unsustainable’ ongoing rise in their need for help could overwhelm already stretched NHS services.
The latest NHS figures show ‘open referrals’ – troubled children and young people in England undergoing treatment or waiting to start care – reached 420,314 in February, the highest number since records began in 2016.
The total has risen by 147,853 since February 2020, a 54% increase, and by 80,096 over the last year alone, a jump of 24%. January’s tally of 411,132 cases was the first time the figure ...
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