Number of children in mental health crisis at record high in England

Number of children in mental health crisis at record high in England The number of children in mental health crisis has reached record levels in England, analysis of NHS data by the mental health charity YoungMinds shows.

For the first time, urgent referrals of under-18s to mental health crisis teams reached more than 3,500 in May, three times higher than in May 2019. And in the year to March 2023 there were 21,555 urgent referrals to mental health crisis teams, up 46% on 2022, the charity found.

These are children with the most acute mental health symptoms, who might otherwise need to go to hospital for psychosis, severe self-harm or suicide attempts. The Guardian

See also:

• Urgent referrals of children to emergency mental health services tripled Young Minds
• ‘Mental health emergency’ as urgent referrals for under 18s triple Evening Standard