‘In Britain, we don’t seem to really like children’-Alison Michalska

It’s Time To Face The Facts On Children and Young people's Mental Health and Wellbeing

Photo:haltonhousing.org

Yet again, another warning, another report, about the state of our children, youth, and students’ mental health,  tragically reaching crisis point. Teachers across Britain are, again and again, telling the nation about the epedemic rise in levels of  anxiety, self-harm and suicide amongst their pupils.

Number of children arriving in A&E with a psychiatric condition

Rise in number of children admitted to A&E for self-harm and mental illnesses |

'So many young people are self-harming that it risks becoming normalised and increasing the number who commit suicide when they are older, a study reveals.

One in five girls and young women in England aged 16 to 24 have cut, burned or poisoned themselves, according to research that mental health experts said was “very worrying”.

The findings, published in the Lancet Psychiatry journal, show that self-harm has risen across both sexes and all age groups since 2000. In the population as a whole it almost trebled from 2.4% then to 6.4% in 2014.

The number of people overall cutting themselves jumped from 1.5% to 3.9% over those 14 years.

Growing numbers of people are harming themselves as a way of coping with feelings of anger, tension, anxiety or depression. However, a lack of NHS services and people’s unwillingness to seek help means that more than half of those who self-harm do not receive any medical or psychological care...'

One in five young women have self-harmed, study reveals

The pertinent question, however, must surely be: Is anybody listening? Is anybody taking notice?