Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel de Souza reports on ‘mental health crisis’
Incredible new numbers have been announced in England. The press is talking about a “mental health crisis” among young people now affecting one in every ten children.
There is an actual alarm being sounded over this.
Here’s what the coverage looked like in May:
Guardian: Children in mental health crisis waiting up to three days in A&E for specialist bed in England
Nurses’ union criticises ‘catastrophic system-wide failure’ in NHS as more under-18s getting stuck in emergency wards
Children and young people in England having a mental health crisis are spending up to three days in an A&E unit before they get a bed in a specialist unit, NHS figures reveal.
One children’s nurse who works in an emergency department said such long waits for under-18s who were in acute distress were “frankly barbaric” but “becoming far more normal”. . . .
Dr Sam Jones, the research officer for mental health at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said children in mental health crisis were now often more unwell than in the past.
PROBLEMS “MORE COMPLEX”
“Alongside rising levels of poor mental health, the nature of need is changing fast. Problems are more complex and severe, more younger children are affected and rates of self-harm and eating disorders continue to rise,” Jones said.
Soaring cost of emergency child mental health admissions
The study, published in BMJ Open, analysed data on all admissions of five- to 18-year-olds to general acute medical wards in acute NHS trusts in England from April 1st 2012 to March 31st 2022 gleaned from NHS Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data. . . .
They have now calculated the cost of that rise in admissions and found it went up from £22.5 million [$30M] in 2012 to £87.5 million [$116M] in 2022.
During June, the coverage got more specific.
MORE SICK CHILDREN
New analysis shows demand driven in part by children being increasingly referred for suspected autism and neurodevelopmental conditions, these children were most likely to face some of the longest waits for help.
Autism and neurodevelopmental referrals driving growth: Referrals for suspected autism rose by almost 50 per cent in a single year, from 65,530 to 96,393. Referrals for other neurodevelopmental conditions increased by 24 per cent, making these among the fastest growing reasons children are seeking support.
Children facing mental health 'crisis' as referrals reach over one million | UK News | Sky News
The children's commissioner for England says referrals for suspected autism have risen 47% in just one year, as she argues demand for support is outpacing capacity and funding. . .
The figure covers the 12 months to March 2025 and represents roughly one in 10 children - almost double the number recorded in 2018-19.
Dame Rachel de Souza said in her annual report, published on Monday, that she was "in no doubt that we are facing a crisis" in young people's mental health.:. . .
. . . Over 60,000 children were waiting over two years for help, 15,000 more than the year before.
The typical waiting time for support was 128 days.
Demand has been partly linked to suspected autism and neurodevelopmental conditions
‘NO STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWERS’
The children's Commissioner for England said there appears to be "no straightforward answers to what is driving the rise in referrals, and that there may be different answers depending on the conditions being considered".
The data showed the biggest annual increase in referrals was for suspected autism, which rose 47%.
BBC: Over one million children referred for mental healthcare
In her annual report, Children and Young People's Mental Health Services: 2024-25, Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza warned that increasing numbers face long waits for support.
Over a third of the children were still waiting for treatment, with more than 60,000 waiting over two years for help - an increase from over 44,000 children the previous year.
Fewer than one in five with suspected autism or neurodevelopmental conditions went on to receive support in 2024-25. Those who did waited, on average, a year.
Children’s mental health crisis risks fuelling ‘lost generation’
Nearly one in five primary school children are now experiencing a probable mental health disorder - more than double the rate in 2011 – according to analysis published today by Health Equity North on behalf of the Child of the North All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). . . .
The report shows:
A record 850,000 children accessed NHS mental health support in 2025
Around 385,000 children are still waiting for mental health support.
Children with mental health difficulties are three times more likely to miss significant amounts of school, highlighting the impact on educational outcomes and long-term life chances.
One in four children referred for specialist mental health support are turned away. . . .
New analysis shows demand driven in part by children being increasingly referred for suspected autism and neurodevelopmental conditions, these children were most likely to face some of the longest waits for help.
NO EXPLANATION FOR INCREASES IN AUTISM/ADHD
A government review published in March highlighted that there is no "single narrative" explaining the rise in autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses within children’s mental health services. . . .
“Improved recognition”
It also cautioned that increased diagnoses for ADHD and autism do not necessarily equate to a rise in prevalence, but could reflect improved recognition, changes in help-seeking behaviour, and evolving social patterns.
Finally, people in authority in England are showing some concern over the pitiful state of children’s health, yet they are at a total loss to explain why things are changing so dramatically.
While the report says that one in ten children have a problem, it also says that “nearly one in five primary school children are now experiencing a probable mental health disorder.” That simple fact should also grab people’s attention. Why are the youngest children more severely affected?
NEVER ENDING INCREASES
I’d like to think that the UK is now going to honestly address the damage being done to children, but it’s highly unlikely based on what’s been happening over two decades.
Stories about “increasing demand” and “more complex needs” are regular fare from the British media. I’ve been covering these news reports going back to January 2017 on Loss of Brain Trust.
And while these reports were about children in England, the same thing is happening in the rest of the UK.
In May, we learned that one in 16 children in Northern Ireland has autism, one in 11.6 boys.
In 2024, we learned that one in every 23 children in Scotland has autism, one in 14 boys.
In July, 2024, it was reported that HALF of the schoolchildren in Wales have special needs.
Children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, may be calling things a crisis at the moment, but I seriously doubt anything is going to change. The British have resigned themselves to accept the systematic decline of children’s health. The numbers are only going to get worse and worse until eventually, things just collapse.
In all of my years of study, I just never expected to witness the complete moral and intellectual collapse of mainstream society, yet here we are.
Dr. Toby Rogers
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