“Huge gaps” in mental health support for North East children
Report shows only one in four children suffering from mental health problems are actually given any support.
A Tyneside mental health charity claims that there are still huge gaps in provision for children.
It's as new research shows most kids with mental health problems don't get help until 10 years after their first symptoms.
The report, from the Centre for Mental Health, says opportunities to offer timely and effective support to children are “often” being missed.
It found that in the 10 years many UK children wait to get help, problems become “entrenched” and escalate until they reach “crisis”. It warned that the longer a child is left without any help “the more it is likely to cast a shadow over their entire life”.
Three quarters of parents of children with a mental health problem seek help, but only one quarter of children receive any support, it added.
Stuart Dexter, Chief Exec of Tyneside Northumberland Mind says that awareness is still poor despite mental health problems among children being common.
He said: “Sometimes its attention seeking, sometimes it’s just being a moody teenager… I think it’s very difficult for some adults to appreciate that children can be stressed, depressed or anxious because they don’t imagine that children can have those sort of problems.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done. Teachers need to be better equipped. I don’t think mental health forms part of teacher training anymore but they need clear referral pathways for services that support those children.”
Lorraine Khan, associate director for children and young people at Centre for Mental Health, said: “Most common childhood mental health problems can be treated effectively. Early help is vital to have the best chance of success.
“We need to raise awareness of the first signs of poor mental health and reinforce the importance of getting early help. And we need to offer effective and young people friendly help for every child of any age at the first signs of difficulty.
“Waiting for a child's mental health to deteriorate until it hits crisis point causes untold distress and damage to their lives and carries a heavy social and economic cost. We have to take action now to offer high quality help quickly to children and young people everywhere.”
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