NHS figures reveal one in 18 pre-schoolers are receiving treatment 12.8 per cent of children and young people in England have a mental disorder Pre-school children are being regularly treated for mental health disorders One in 18 pre-schoolers have problems such as 'oppositional defiance disorder' Traditional parents will suggest the condition is simply the 'terrible-twos' Others worry that left untreated the problems will lead to serious mental issues Thousands of children as young as two are being diagnosed with mental health disorders, according to a landmark report. One in 18 pre-schoolers are being treated for problems including ‘oppositional defiance disorder’, NHS mental health figures show. While some traditional parents may scoff at such terms for conduct they would simply blame on ‘the terrible-twos’, experts insist the cases are at the extreme end of the behavioural spectrum. Controversial treatments include families going on parenting courses to help them handle their offspring. Today’s report on the mental health of children and young people in England is the first in more than a decade. The findings, based on a survey of 9,117 children, include those aged two to four and 17 to 19 for the first time. It shows a worsening picture for young people’s welfare, with one in eight five- to 19-year-olds suffering a mental health disorder in 2017. The rates of illness increased with age, affecting one in ten by the time they finished primary school, one in seven by 16 and one in six by age 20. Some 12.8 per cent of all people aged between two and 19 have some form of mental disorder and a quarter of teenagers with mental health problems have self-harmed or tried to kill themselves, according to figures released today by NHS Digital (stock image) Women aged between 17 and 19 are the worst affected age group, with almost a quarter of them (22.4 per cent) suffering from an emotional disorder. And one in three gay, lesbian or bisexual teenagers suffer from mental health problems, compared to one in seven heterosexuals. Shockingly, a quarter of teenagers with a mental disorder have self-harmed or tried to kill themselves, and this rose to almost half of 17 to 19-year-olds. The figures have coincided with concerns hundreds of children are being given high-strength antidepressants by doctors going against guidelines to prescribe them. Experts called the figures 'shocking' and said inadequate mental health and support services leave many young people stuck in a 'vicious circle of solitude and suffering'. 'These figures are shocking,' said Denise Hatton, chief executive of YMCA England & Wales. 'And while progress has been made to normalise conversations about mental health and successive governments have made additional funding for NHS services available, today’s figures are a wake-up call that this clearly hasn’t gone far enough.' Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017, published today by NHS Digital has laid the figures bare. For the first time it has included those aged between 15 and 19, and between the ages of two and four. The number of five to 15-year-olds with mental health problems rose from 9.7 per cent in 1999 to 11.2 per cent in 2017. Even pre-school children don't escape the scourge of mental health problems affecting the nation's youth – 5.5 per cent of under-fives have a disorder of some kind. Experts offering their insight into the figures suggest social media could be partly to blame. Dr Dennis Ougrin, a senior psychiatrist at King’s College London, said: 'Children with mental disorders are heavier users of social media and are affected by the social media more significantly, than the children without mental disorders.' Teenagers aged between 17 and 19 have the highest rate of emotional disorders, with one in six of them suffering (16.9 per cent), and 6.4 per cent having more than one. The YMCA's Ms Hatton added: 'To end this crisis that is ruining young lives, it’s crucial that action and investment goes into preventing young people from experiencing poor mental health in the first place. 'From preventative youth and community services, to education in schools, mental health must be incorporated in every aspect of daily life to stop young people from reaching crisis point. 'Without preventative services and with the NHS struggling to cope, too many young people are still left alone to deal with their mental health difficulties by themselves, leading to a vicious circle of solitude and suffering.' WHERE DO THE MOST CHILDREN HAVE MENTAL DISORDERS? East of England (15.6%) South West (15.5%) North West (14.7%) Yorkshire and the Humber (14.7%) East Midlands (12.2%) South East (11.7%) West Midlands (11.7%) North East (11.6%) London (9%) Source: NHS Digital The Guardian showed 597 under-18s were given 'last resort' drugs by doctors going against NHS guidance. The meds, paroxetine and venlafaxine, should not be given to children under normal prescribing circumstances, the paper reported, because they are believed to increase the risk of suicidal thoughts among young people. Use of the super-strength depression drugs came as the number of under-18s taking anti-depressants rose from around 69,000 in 2016 to 71,365 last year. Oxford University psychiatrist Andrea Cipriani told The Guardian: 'Paroxetine and venlafaxine should not be prescribed as first-line treatment, that is for sure.' She added: 'Medications are not a quick fix for depression.' 'COUNSELLING WASN'T CUTTING IT AND I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW WHERE TO GO' Catherine Nixon felt she'd had a mental health problem from the age of seven but didn't seek expert help until she was 16 years old when it began to take over her life. She told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme she would get up at 7am and spend seven hours in the bathroom on her compulsive 'morning routine'. Not feeling like her condition was severe enough to seek help from the NHS, Miss Nixon waited for years before getting professional support. Catherine Nixon suffered with mental health problems for years but never felt like she was severe enough for help until she was 'in and out of A&E' 'It started to get worse during the first bit of year 12,' she said. 'I'd had counselling and low-level CBT but that wasn't really cutting it and I didn't really know where to go. 'It wasn't until things got to its absolute worst when I was in and out of A&E that I eventually got into [NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service] and they were like "you're a bit too severe for us, we're going to have to send you to a psychiatric unit", where I was for six months.' ٍSource
