Recent statistics show that youth mental health is deteriorating in the UK at a concerning pace, and the government and schools should be doing more to help, says Oliver Slefarski, 16, from Concord College.
Over the past six years, rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders among young people have risen at a concerning pace. This is no longer a minor issue but a national crisis that demands immediate government action.
As of 2023, 20.3% of students in the UK have reported some form of mental health disorder, an 8.2% increase since 2017. And just this year, 22% of girls aged 8-16 have reported some sort of mental health disorder: 4.3% of them have reported eating disorders, and female hospital admissions for self-harm have risen to 711 per 100,000.
These statistics reveal only what has been reported. Some estimates suggest the true number could be that up to 40% of young girls are experiencing mental health disorders. There are countless impacts of this rising problem. Students are missing school and in extreme cases dropping out completely due to their disorders becoming so severe, often resulting in long-term health issues.
If these trends continue, mental health disorders could become the biggest reason for children missing out on an education and failing to integrate into society as they should be.
Support for such issues is failing. It is simply not good enough. A severe lack of government funding means long waiting lists for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Out of 910,567 recent referrals to CAMHS, the average wait time was reported to be 392 days. Only 36% of referrals started treatment after four weeks, and 171,134 referrals closed with no support.
Schools could better educate young people on these issues and those relating to boys and young men. They should help them reject the widely-held view that boys should always be strong and keep their pain bottled up inside them.
Action is necessary: male suicide rates are rising and it seems that too little is being done. We need intervention. There should be more trained school counsellors and mental health hubs available to students to help them talk about their feelings and allow them to get the help they need and deserve.
Campaigns should be started around schools to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and to encourage young people to seek help from professionals. They need to realise that speaking to someone else shows strength not weakness.
The youth mental health crisis is too serious to ignore. With rising rates of anxiety, self-harm, and long waits for support, young people are being failed every day by the current system. Investing in early intervention, expanding school-based mental health teams, and reducing wait times are not optional but essential. Without decisive action now, an entire generation is at risk of long-term harm: my generation.
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