Children's mental health statistics

兒童心智健康問題統計資訊

Young people have been great at opening up conversations about mental health. Many talk openly on social media about personal struggles. They've moved society forward, reduced the stigma surrounding mental health and made it a public issue. 

We still don't know the exact number of children battling issues like anxiety and depression, but here are some statistics about mental health that help tell the story.

  

mental health statistics 2020

1 in 6

children aged 5-16 likely to have a mental health problem¹

17 to 22

year old women are the group most at risk of developing a mental health problem

  

introduction to mental health

  

How many young people have a mental health issue?

In the last three years, the likelihood of young people having a mental health problem has increased by 50%.

Now, five children in a classroom of 30 are likely to have a mental health problem.

Given the prevalence of mental health problems in children and young people, it's no surprise that psychotherapists on TikTok have amassed millions of followers and likes over the past year.

  

mental health statistics

52%

of 17 to 23 year olds have experienced a deterioration in mental health in the last five years

34%

of those who do get referred into NHS services are not accepted into treatment

  

accessing mental health treatment

Accessing mental health support

As the number of young people needing mental support shoots up, many are forced to find their own way of coping. Specialist services are overstretched and young people are often refused treatment or made to join a long waiting list.

In some cases, GPs pick up the slack. But many young people would rather not talk to their GP about mental health. There's still a stigma and it is beyond what a GP is trained to do.

More than two thirds of young people would prefer to be able to access mental health support without going through their GP.

 

facts about young people's mental health

55%

of 16-25 year olds said they had seen their GP about mental health at some point in their lives

53%

of 16-25 year olds said they knew other routes to mental health support without seeing their GP

 

Improving children's well-being

Right now there are young people fighting for hope. The Government must make children's well-being a priority.

 

Help us improve children's well-being

 

Early mental health support

In our research with Young Minds, the most common reason young people had for not going to their GP was not feeling like their problem was bad enough. But young people shouldn't have to wait for a mental health crisis to get help.

mental health statistics about early support

50%

of all mental health problems start by the age of 14

70%

of the young people we work with need help with their mental health and well-being

Emotional health and well-being hubs

Early support services like our well‑being drop‑ins take the pressure of the NHS and provide a place for young people to talk about what's going on in their lives.

Our BEAM and Pause well-being services helped 3,400 young people last year.

They have been shown to reduce psychological distress in young people, including self-harm, and are more appealing to those less likely to engage with NHS support - young men, LGBTQ+ and young black and minoritised ethnic communities. They have also been shown to save costs across the health system. 

But there needs to be more funding for early support services across the country - where young people can build resilience, work through their feelings, learn to cope with the stresses of growing up. No waiting lists.

The world should open up and help people with mental health

Citations

1. Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2020: NHS digial, 22 October 2020;