Seven out of 10 parents with children who suffer from mental health problems say they fear for their children due to the poor quality of mental health services available to them.
A new report from stem4, a charity which promotes positive mental health in teenagers, has found that 76% of parents worry about their children’s mental health and 56% feel they are ‘ill equipped’ to deal with their mental health difficulties.
These parents told the charity they feel like they have been left to ‘fend for themselves’.
The health think tank The King’s Fund reported last September that while mental health services are now on the national agenda, years of underinvestment and lack of attention have undermined them.
Based on a survey of 1000 parents, the stem4 report found that 72% of parents fear for their children and young people’s lives as a result of access to poor mental health services.
The charity’s findings also revealed that GPs are concerned about the state of mental health support for young people.
Seventy-three percent said they believe that mental health services for children and young people aged 11-18 have continued to deteriorate over the last 12 months.
