Self harm and suicidal thoughts rise in children age 10-13 years old
Kooth's State of the Nation report lays bare the mental health impact of the pandemic on the UK
Last updated 11th May 2021
A new report has laid bare the impact of the coronavirus on the UK's mental health.
Kooth's "State of the Nation" study has highlighted a series of increases of children and adults reporting concerns around self harm, suicidal thoughts and lack of sleep.
A survey of users found, in the last year:
- A 54% increase in suicidal thoughts reported by 10-13 year olds
- A 33% increase in new users, aged 10-13 reporting self harm issues
- A 35% increase in adults reporting suicidal thoughts
Impact of the pandemic
Reasons behind mental health issues, and suicidal thoughts in particular can be complex, but this report refers to user interactions, and feelings reported during the pandemic.
It also found:
- 83% increase in young people experiencing sleep difficulties
- 71% increase in issues with school or college
- It also found increases of 40%+ in adults experiencing loneliness, sadness and sleep difficulties
WATCH: Dr Lynne Green from Kooth speaks to Senior Correspondent about the report's findings
Why are 10-13 year olds having these thoughts?
Kooth's Chief Clinical Officer Dr Lynne Green says there are many reasons why children are expressing feelings of self harm. She told us: "In mental health generally we've been seeing a downward age shift in mental health presentations, and related behaviours, like cannabis use, some people are seeing cannabis use as the next big crisis in children's mental health.
"Suicide and self harm are complex and I don't want to over-simplify, but people generally self harm because they're trying to cope with some kind of emotional distress. Our data shows our young people are experiencing more stress, more anxiety, more mental health disorders, such as eating disorders."
Are more people suffering eating disorders?
In 2020, Kooth saw a 51% rise in the number of service users presenting with eating difficulties. They also report a surge in young people contacting them with no prior eating disorder history.
Impact of the pandemic on students
It's also been a difficult year for students at University. Kooth has seen:
- A 25% increase in student counselling uptake
- a 161% increase in students presenting with sleep difficulties
- A 106% increase in reporting a health anxiety
- 74% increase in reporting trauma
What mental health support is out there for me?
You can talk to your GP, or if someone's life is in immediate danger you should call 999.
You can find links to local services near your by typing your postcode into the Hub of Hope
The number for Samaritans is 116 123.
You can text SHOUT to 85258 if you want a text conversation about what you're going through.
You can find out more about Kooth and the service they offer on their website
Don't suffer alone.