This White Paper from iSpace Wellbeing has revealed the true mental health crisis that children growing up in the pandemic face and is due to be presented to government to call for change. It reveals that 1 in 20 children considered suicide and the same number self-harmed in the past year.
In July 2020 it was found that the prevalence of clinically significant mental health conditions amongst children was 50% higher than in the previous 2017 survey, with one in six (16%) children aged five to 16 years identified as having a probable mental disorder, with the increase evident in both boys and girls.
It revealed that among those aged 11 to 16 years, half of those (50.5%) with a probable mental disorder reported having sleep problems, with the figure rising slightly (52.5%) for children aged between five and 10.
The same study found that children with a probable mental disorder were about five times more likely not to have eaten a family meal all week (4.8%)or spent time together with their family, compared to those unlikely to have a mental disorder.
This report gave children a chance to discuss the mental health challenges they are facing and share their thoughts on possible solutions to help tackle this crisis.