, Labour’s Shadow Mental Health
Minister, commenting on NHS Digital’s report on the
Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, said:
“Covid-19 is clearly having a negative impact on the wellbeing of
children and young people, with the impact being felt even more
by those with an existing mental health problem.
“The relationship between financial security and probable mental
illness is undeniable in this report. This inequality is well
documented, but successive Conservative governments have failed
to address it, leaving less well-off children to fall through the
cracks.
“If the Government continues to fail our children, the
consequences will be felt for a generation."
Ends
Notes to Editors:
- Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2020:
Wave 1 follow up to the 2017 survey - https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2020-wave-1-follow-up
Key statistics in report:
- Rates of probable mental disorder have increased since 2017.
In 2020, one in six (16.0%) children aged 5 to 16 years were
identified as having a probable mental disorder, increasing from
one in nine (10.8%) in 2017. The increase was evident in both
boys and girls
- Among young people (17 - 22), one in five were identified
with a probable mental disorder in 20020. 27.2% of young women
and 13.3% of young men were identified as having a probable
mental disorder.
- Children aged 5 to 16 years with a probable mental disorder
were more than twice as likely to live in a household that had
fallen behind with payments (16.3%) than children unlikely to
have a mental disorder (6.4%)
- Overall, most 11 to 16 year olds felt that lockdown had made
their life worse (42.8%), with 29.6% reporting no change. The
views of 17 to 22 year olds were similar, with 43.1% reporting
that lockdown had made their life worse and 32.3% reporting no
change.
- Children and young people with a probable mental disorder
were more likely to say that lockdown had made their life worse,
than those unlikely to have a mental disorder. More than half
(54.1%) of 11 to 16 year olds and 59.0% of 17 to 22 year olds
with a probable mental disorder said that life was worse under
lockdown. This compared with 39.2% of 11 to 16 year olds and
37.3% of 17 to 22 year olds unlikely to have a mental disorder.
- Among 11 to 16 year old girls, 63.8% with a probable mental
disorder had seen or heard an argument among adults in the
household, compared with 46.8% of those unlikely to have a mental
disorder.
