Just Bee Counselling 

Facts about Mental Health in Young People

Summarized from the October 2020 NHS Digital Report by the Early Intervention Foundation.

•  “More than one in seven young people aged 11–19 in England had at least one mental disorder in 2017. 
• A follow-up survey carried out during the Covid-19 lockdown (July 2020) indicates that one in six young people aged 11–16 years were identified as having a probable mental disorder. This figure increases to one in five among young adults aged 17–22. 
• Emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression are the most common mental disorders experienced by young people.
• The rate of mental disorders among 11–15-year-olds in England seems to be increasing, having risen from 11.4% in 1999 to 13.6% in 2017. The latest data from 2020 suggest that young people’s mental health has further deteriorated.
• In younger adolescents (aged 11–16), the prevalence of mental disorders is similar among boys and girls. However, among older adolescents (17–19), mental disorders are more common in girls, with almost one in four girls experiencing a mental disorder, compared with one in 10 boys 
• Self-harm and attempted suicide are around six times more common among adolescents (aged 11–19) with a mental disorder than those without. Similar to mental disorders, rates of self-harm and attempted suicide among the adolescent population are increasing, with reported self-harm having increased from 5.3% in 2000 to 13.7% in 2014 (11–16-year-olds).

"It can take a decade for many young people to receive help after showing first symptoms. Opportunities to help are often missed until they reach “crisis”, causing children to self-harm, become suicidal, be violent and aggressive or drop out of school.”    The Guardian ( March 2017)