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. The Guardian has more.
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 had topped 400,000.
Mental health charities welcomed the fact that an all-time high number of young people are receiving psychological support. But they fear the figures are the tip of the iceberg of the true number of people who need care, and that many more under-18s in distress are being denied help by arbitrary eligibility criteria.
‘Open referrals’ are under-18s who are being cared for by child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) or are waiting to see a specialist, having been assessed as needing help against treatment thresholds. GPs, teachers and mental health charities believe the criteria are too strict, exclude many who are deemed not ill enough, and amount to rationing of care.
“There is an unprecedented crisis in young people’s mental health, further evidenced by these record numbers of young people needing help from the NHS,” said Olly Parker, the Head of External Affairs at Young Minds. “The record high number of children and young people receiving care from the NHS tells us that the crisis in young people’s mental health is a wave that’s breaking now.”
While it was positive that more and more under-18s are receiving psychological support, he said, “the rise in the number of young people seeking help from the NHS is relentless and unsustainable. Over the past two years young people have experienced isolation, disruption to their education and reduced access to support, including from counsellors and GPs. All of these things have massively impacted their mental health, but these figures are only the tip of the iceberg and will continue to rise.”
He said many young people were reaching crisis point before could get the treatment they need.
Worth reading in full.
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Of all the disasters of the first three months of Starmergeddon, this has to be the worst. Actual criminals rejoicing in their release, hiring expensive cars, spraying sparkling wine and basically sticking two fingers up at society- to make room for women who put nasty tweets on social media.
Vomit-inducing.
I doubt the cars were hired… I agree though, it’s really, really bad looking for 2TK amongst ordinary voters
Crime pays.
If Labour think they can build 1.5 million houses in five years they must believe there are many unemployed builders. The obvious solution is to build more prison capacity: new wings or floors on existing buildings or new walls around barracks now redundant following the shrinkage in armed forces.
easy.
If Labour can find £22billion to invest in crackpot carbon capture research they must be able to find a couple of billion to build and run a few more prisons
less ‘return’ opportunities perhaps in useful national infrastructure?
Just deport the foreign scum from the prisons back to where they came from.
As I have recently pointed out in the sad Peter Lynch article, if the prisons are overflowing how on earth did the poor man find the means and opportunity to kill himself without anybody noticing?
More MSM lies.
https://countrysquire.co.uk/2024/10/22/former-sas-regimental-sergeant-major-speaks-out/
A powerful article from an ex RSM of 22 SAS. Article 2 of the Human Rights Act is throwing our soldiers and clearly the police to the wolves as Sergeant Blake is finding with the Kaba case. The politicians don’t give a shit. As the author makes clear, it’s about time the politicians ordering men in to battle faced the courts of inquiry subsequently and not the poor lads doing their jobs.
Recommended reading and commendable action from the RSM for breaking the well known SAS omerta code.
Hat-tip Guido.
Thanks for this. It’s absolutely clear that the state and its agents is our enemy – the enemy of our society, our culture, our history, our people.
Maybe the SAS will step up.
The state has declared war on the people of this country. It is a point I have repeated over many months.
huxleypiggles a.k.a. Brian Gerrish?
So this is absolutely hideous, but he’s apparently one of the many dangerous psychos let out early by a PM that proves consistently he doesn’t give a crap about the decent members of the British public;
”Serial child groomer and torturer ‘Young Dizz’ was today released early from prison by Labour.
Not only very dangerous, but also very stupid, he was sentenced to 12.5 years after posting himself kidnapping and torturing his child victim on his Snapchat.”
https://x.com/lucaajwatson/status/1848781155694162258
”Dizz was so notorious that the Met dedicated a whole task force to tracking him and bringing him down. All their hard work has now been undone, after he was released just 5 years into his 12.5 year sentence by Labour.”
https://x.com/lucaajwatson/status/1848787204690350584
Looks like the women’s ward of the local mental asylum has also released its patients early. It figure’s though, as they can’t have the men having all the benefits, what with equality and all. Starmer kept that one under his hat;
https://x.com/VividProwess/status/1848791597149725162