National survey shows 1 in 5 young people had a probable mental health condition
NHS England has published a report on children and young people’s mental health, which found that 20.3% of eight to 16-year-olds had a probable mental health condition in 2023.
The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England survey is England’s best data source for trends in children and young people’s mental health and how this has changed since 2017 - covering topics such as bullying, substance use, self-harm and feelings about cost of living, education, climate change and the future.
The survey is commissioned by NHS England and was carried out earlier this year by researchers at the University of Cambridge and University of Exeter with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).
Professor Tamsin Ford (pictured), CPFT honorary consultant psychiatrist and Head of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, delivered this research with her team and stresses how important this data is:
“Mental health problems in the teenage and emerging adult years can massively impact a young person’s future trajectory in terms of education, health, employment, and social skills. These figures confirm that the huge increase in referrals to clinics is not just the result of more children and young people seeking help, it’s a sign of more children and young people needing help. There is no single silver bullet to fixing this problem. All services working with children must pull together.”
After a rise in rates of probable mental health conditions between 2017 and 2020, prevalence continued at similar levels in all age groups between 2022 and 2023. This year, among 17 to 19-year-olds, the proportion was 23.3%, while in 20 to 25-year-olds it was 21.7%.
Participants were also questioned about eating disorders for the first time since the 2017 survey. In 2023, 12.5% of 17 to 19-year-olds had an eating disorder, an increase from 0.8% in 2017. Between 2017 and 2023, rates rose both in young women (from 1.6% to 20.8%) and young men (from 0.0% to 5.1%) in this age group.
This year’s survey also found 5.9% of 20 to 25-year-olds had an eating disorder, while eating disorders were identified in 2.6% of 11 to 16-year-olds, compared with 0.5% in 2017 – with rates in 2023 four times higher in girls (4.3%) than boys (1.0%).
- Read the full report: Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023
Professor Ford is also one of the research leads for the first specialist centre in the eastern region, Cambridge Children’s Hospital, with a vision of integrated mental and physical healthcare to improve treatment and outcomes, particularly for severe and complex eating disorders.
Tamsin added: “These are conditions to be taken very seriously. The benefit of having integrated paediatric physical and mental healthcare for children and young people diagnosed with eating disorders is huge. What we hope is that treating mental and physical health together – a ‘whole child’ approach - will allow us to get children better quicker and get them back to their homes and back attending school, which again will help their ongoing recovery.
Children should be in hospital for the shortest possible time.”
CPFT is working with Tamsin and University of Cambridge researchers on many different research projects to improve mental healthcare and treatments for children and young people.
This year, CPFT has partnered the largest ever UK trial of mental health treatment for young people, investigating how to train more health professionals to deliver effective interventions to support young people’s mental health.
Researchers at the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration East of England hosted by CPFT are working in partnership with schools and parents to improve access to therapy for children’s worries and anxiety problems.
- Learn more about the Working on Worries project.
NHS England is rolling out Mental Health Support Teams within schools and colleges to provide early support to young people with mild to moderate mental health issues and training more teams to cover over 50% of pupils and learners in further education.
NHS Mental Health Director Claire Murdoch said: “Today’s report shows the continued unprecedented pressures faced by young people and reflects the increased demand for NHS children’s mental health services. NHS staff are working harder than ever to meet the increased demand and we have fast-tracked mental health support for millions of pupils in schools and colleges, as well as significantly expanding the children’s mental health workforce. Our partners, especially in the education, voluntary and social care sectors, also have a critical role to play in supporting this effort.
“It is vital that any child or young person struggling, or their family, reaches out for help so they can get the care they need.”
Emotional wellbeing and mental health help for children and young people aged 5 to 17 (registered with a GP in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough) is available from YOUnited, a partnership provided by Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) at CPFT, Cambridgeshire Community Services (CCS), Ormiston Families and Centre 33.
- Find out more about this service and access helpful resources online with YOUnited.
