Eating disorder referrals have increased by a staggering 82 per cent over the last 24 months.

One of the therapy rooms for young people at Wellbeing Therapy Solutions

There are now an incredible amount of children being treated for serious mental health problems in the UK*.

Over one million children have been treated for serious mental health issues, equalling a 39 per cent rise over 12 months.

Meanwhile, specifically eating disorder referrals have increased by a staggering 82 per cent over the last 24 months.

With NHS services, and the wonderful people who work there, under incredible strain, it is unlikely these numbers will go down in the near future, so it is time to ask ourselves: Are we doing enough to look after our children in need?

The figures are shocking to see and the need to tackle this crisis head on is crucial if we are to make things better for young people who need support.

Crisis situation

Figures show that 75 per cent of mental illness in adults, actually starts before the age of 18.

So, it’s clear from that, if we can support the children who are identifying problems now, they are going to have a better prognosis and adulthood.

If we can tackle the situation now, we can make a difference for the future.

Sadly, in the UK at the minute, many young people are not offered support until it is a crisis situation because resources are so limited.

Support for children

Working with so many young people on a day-to-day basis, we are obviously passionate about providing support for children at Wellbeing Therapy Solutions.

We try to always offer any young person – or their family members – an appointment as soon as possible. The WTS team believe that no young person should be told to wait or that they are not ill enough to be able to access support, medication or services, or whatever they need.

But we can do more as a society too – and we should do.

Often, society tells individuals they need to act if they are struggling to get the support they need and I don’t disagree with that. But schools and other environments can put changes in place to make it so much easier for that person to manage their difficulties or challenges they may face within their environment.

Devising strategies

We can really help by addressing things like sensory needs, doing things in different ways or devising strategies that can enhance an environment. We need to explore ways in which we can support, for example, a person who has developed an eating disorder as a coping strategy to help them deal with the emotional difficulties they are having.

Better plans and educating people can really make a difference. It’s important that we continue to try to get therapists placed at the heart of schools and services so that young people can access the support quicker, to prevent long-term problems.

But we need to act now. Only by doing so can we begin to provide for the huge numbers of young people that need our support today, not in 18 months’ time.

* Source of statistics in opening paragraphs – Analysis of official NHS figures by PA Media. Find out more here.

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