Psychiatrists have called for more targeted support for young people as a new analysis reveals the number of children referred for emergency mental healthcare has increased by over 50% in four years.
The analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists found that in just four years, psychiatrists and their teams have seen a 53% increase in the number of children in England in mental health crisis.
There were 32,521 emergency and urgent referrals to child and adolescent mental health services crisis teams in 2022-23, compared to 21,242 in 2019-20.
This includes young people who are suicidal, severely depressed and who have an eating disorder.
Dr Elaine Lockhart, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Child and Adolescent Faculty, said: ‘It’s unacceptable that so many children and young people are reaching crisis point before they are able to access care. We cannot allow this to become the new norm.
‘Severe mental illness is not just an adult problem, the need for specialist mental health services for children and young people is growing all the time. The evidence shows us that children who receive support quickly are less likely to develop long-term conditions, that negatively affect their education, social development and health in later life.’
