First official statistics on child mental health in 14 years published
The first Government child and adolescent mental health statistics for 14 years have this week been released by NHS Digital.
They suggest that around 12.8% 5-19 year olds in England has a clinically impairing mental health condition, equating to around three pupils in an average sized classroom. In the North East the figure was slightly lower at 11.6% (10.5% for boys and 11.6% for girls).
Findings included:
- Children with mental health conditions were more likely to have poor general health, live in a low-income household, and to have less healthy family functioning or a parent in poor health.
- Teachers were the most commonly cited professional source of support among those with mental health conditions (48.5%).
- The overlap between poor mental health and difficulty coping with school is emphasised by the high proportion of children with a mental health condition (35.6%) with recognised special educational needs.
The full statistics are available here.