Referrals for childhood anxiety double in four years, with 4,000 diagnoses per week for children under 18

Striking new figures show that the number of children referred for specialist treatment for anxiety disorders has doubled in just four years.

More than 200,000 children in England — or 4,000 a week — waited to start treatment last year.

That is more than 100,000 more than in 2019/2020, when there were almost 99,000 people in line.

Experts called the figures “shocking” but said today that the “staggering” rise was due to exam worries, the influence of social media and the cost of living crisis.

But they warned that the statistics may just be the tip of the iceberg and that other children are suffering in silence and under the radar.

A 2022 joint survey of 1,130 teachers, conducted by children’s mental health charity Place2Be and the National Association of Head Teachers, also found that emotional and mental health problems among pupils have increased since the pandemic.

New figures from NHS England show there were 204,526 new referrals for patients aged 17 or under in 2023/24 where anxiety was the primary cause.

For comparison, in 2019-20 — the year before Covid struck — this was 98,953. In 2016-17, it was 3,879.

The health service does not record the reasons for referrals for anxiety. But experts today cited a range of factors behind the increase.

Andy Bell, the director of the charity, the Centre for Mental Health, said The guard: ‘These shocking figures highlight the urgency of addressing the mental health of children and young people today.

He added: ‘Our research indicates that academic pressure, particularly that related to exams, has increased over the past decade.

‘Rising poverty and inequality also contribute to increased fear among children and young people. Think for example of financial stress within households and the impact of racism.

Research also shows that online violence, such as cyberbullying and appearance pressure, is persistent and can fuel anxiety in children.

‘The pandemic has increased the pressure on children and young people, disrupting their routines and increasing feelings of isolation and uncertainty about the world and their future.’

Dr Elaine Lockhart, head of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ department of child and adolescent services, also said doctors had seen first-hand “a dramatic increase in the number of children and young people with anxiety” in recent years.

Dozens of studies have recently highlighted how the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns hampered children’s development.

Researchers have found that young people from all economic levels face setbacks in their emotional and social development.

Unprecedented stay-at-home measures, including school closures, were among the most significant measures introduced at the start of the pandemic.

When the virus reached the UK, ministers had no choice but to protect society, having been warned that hundreds of thousands of people could die if immediate action was not taken.

It would be months before vaccines, seen as the only safe way out of the pandemic, could be deployed.

Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national director of mental health, responded to the figures by saying demand for mental health services is at a record high as children face “unprecedented pressures”.

Between April 2021 and October 2021, the number of children under 18 requiring care for problems ranging from self-harm to eating disorders rose by 77 per cent compared with the same period in 2019, according to NHS figures

When she gave evidence to the Covid inquiry last year, former chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies said the full impact of lockdowns had not been considered. While she acknowledged she agreed with the lockdown in principle, the impact had ‘damaged a generation’, she claimed

‘The NHS is expanding its services to treat more children and young people than ever before, including hundreds of mental health teams in schools,’ she said.

Parents or carers who are concerned about their child’s mental health can visit the Every Mind Matters website for advice or seek help from their GP or local mental health service, she added.

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 do not receive the care they deserve. Moreover, we know that the waiting times for help are far too long,” said a spokesperson.

“We are determined to change that.”

Research has repeatedly shown that students’ academic performance declined, while the country also entered a recession due to the economic impact of Covid.

A large study published last year found that nearly half of parents said their children’s social and emotional skills declined during the pandemic.

Research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) and the University College London Institute of Education has found that children are more worried and anxious, more likely to lose confidence and more prone to tantrums after lockdown.

A damning report by parent activists last year also found that ministers were warned in November 2020 that more children would die by suicide than from Covid infection if they closed schools.