Understanding the mental health landscape in England

Children and young people’s mental health in England

Mental ill health does not just affect adults in England. Information from NHS England tells us that 1 in 8 five to 19-year-olds had at least one ‘mental disorder’ when assessed in 2017. NHS England splits these disorders into four broad categories – emotional, behavioural, hyperactivity and other less common disorders.

Emotional disorders were the most prevalent type of disorder experienced by five to 19-year-olds.

Emotional disorders include:

• anxiety disorders (characterised by fear and worry)
• depressive disorders (characterised by sadness, loss of interest and energy, and low self-esteem)
• mania and bipolar affective disorder

The likelihood of experiencing a mental health disorder increases with age. Among primary school children, 1 in 10 five to 10-year-olds had a mental disorder when assessed in 2017, with boys about as twice as likely to be experiencing a mental disorder than girls.

In 11 to 16 year olds, 1 in 7 had a disorder, which increases to 1 in 6 in young people aged 17 to 19. In the 11 to 16 age group, girls and boys were equally likely to experience a mental disorder, while in the oldest age group, girls are more than twice as likely to experience a disorder than boys.

Children and young people's mental health and schools

Children and young people with mental health conditions are more likely to find school difficult. For example, children and young people with a mental health condition are 8.5% more likely to refuse school than those without a mental health condition.

In England, 6.8% of children and young people with a mental disorder have been excluded from school, compared to 0.5% of those without. It is estimated that one in two pupils in alternative provision settings have a mental health need.