The Guardian reports that more than 500 children are being referred to NHS mental health services every day in England for anxiety disorders, more than double the number before the pandemic began.
In 2023-24 there were 204,526 new referrals of patients aged 17 or under where the primary cause was anxiety, official figures show. In 2019-20, the year before Covid-19 struck, the total was 98,953. In 2016-17 it was 3,879.
The alarming increase means that one child is now referred to NHS mental health services in England every three minutes due to anxiety disorders, equating to almost 4,000 children a week.
Doctors, NHS officials and health leaders said in interviews that the increase in referrals for anxiety disorders was “staggering” and “shocking” and that it highlighted the urgent need to tackle the child mental health crisis.
Officials said rising demand for care was straining the health service’s capacity to provide timely treatment for anxiety, with thousands of children on “unacceptably long” waiting lists. Delays in treatment risked causing further harm at a crucial stage in their development, they said.
Research by The Guardian also found that mental health leaders fear the figures are just the tip of the iceberg, with many children not seeking help or unable to do so despite increasing awareness.
NHS data does not record the reasons for referrals for anxiety, but experts polled by the Guardian cited a range of factors behind the rise in children experiencing the condition. They include increasing academic pressure, particularly around exams, the powerful influence of social media and cyberbullying, growing pressure around appearance, rising inequality, soaring poverty levels and the cost of living crisis.
Experts said the pandemic had caused “significant disruption” to children’s lives and compounded other pressures they were already facing. More than four years after Covid first struck, many children are still uncertain about the world around them and anxious about their future, the experts said.
Andy Bell, director of the charity Centre for Mental Health, said: “These shocking figures underline the urgency of tackling the mental health of children and young people today. In recent years, particularly since 2020, there has been a sharp rise in the number of children and young people reporting diagnosable levels of mental health problems, including anxiety.”
Bell said the new data told only part of the story. Many affected children did not seek help despite increasing awareness, he said, “so these numbers are probably the tip of the iceberg.”
Emma Paveley, interim assistant director of the NHS Confederation’s mental health network, said: “These figures show a staggering increase in the number of children and young people being referred for treatment for anxiety disorders.”
While some of the increase could be attributed to more data being submitted by NHS organisations or schools providing mental health services, Paveley said it was clear that prevalence among children had increased, “with a significant increase during the pandemic and following the cost of living crisis”.
Doctors say there is no doubt that more children than ever before suffer from anxiety, despite greater awareness and more ways to get help.
“These data match what GPs are reporting from the frontline: an increasing number of children and young people presenting with symptoms of anxiety and other related mental health conditions,” said Dr Victoria Tzortziou Brown, Vice-Chair of the Royal College of GPs.
Dr Elaine Lockhart, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ faculty for children and adolescents, said doctors in England have seen first-hand “a dramatic rise in the number of children and young people with anxiety” in recent years.
Bell said there were likely multiple contributing factors. “Our research suggests that academic pressures, particularly those related to exams, have increased over the past decade. Rising levels of poverty and inequality have also contributed to increased anxiety among children and young people, including factors such as financial stress within households and the impact of racism. Evidence also suggests that online harms, such as cyberbullying and pressures around appearance, are relentless and can fuel anxiety in children.
“The pandemic has increased these pressures on children and young people by disrupting their routines and increasing feelings of isolation and uncertainty about the world and their future.”
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With more children being referred for anxiety, many are facing long waits for support, Bell said.
Paveley said some children were having to wait “far too long” to start treatment. “Our members are also telling us that the demand for care is outstripping their capacity to provide treatment, which is a huge concern.”
Lockhart said mental health services were struggling to manage the rising demand for anxiety, with many children on “unacceptably long” waiting lists. “This can cause further harm at a crucial time in their lives and result in the development of more entrenched problems that take longer to treat,” she said.
Tzortziou Brown said ministers must urgently address the long waiting lists for anxiety. Bell called for a comprehensive long-term plan to tackle the underlying causes of the deterioration in children’s mental health.
Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national director of mental health, said mental health services were facing record demand as children faced “unprecedented pressures”.
“The NHS is expanding its services to treat more children and young people than ever before, including rolling out hundreds of mental health teams in schools,” she said. Any parent or carer who is concerned about their child’s mental health should contact Every mind counts She added that they can visit their website for advice, or seek help from their GP or local mental health service.
The Department of Health and Social Care said it plans to provide specialist mental health services in every school and open drop-in mental health centres in every community.
“It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the care they deserve, and we know waiting times for services are far too long,” a spokesperson added. “We are determined to change that.”