Anxiety epidemic among children leads to sharp increase in mental health referrals

The number of young people being referred to mental health services for anxiety in the Bristol, Bath and Wiltshire area has more than doubled in the past five years.

More than 25 children a week in the area now experience anxiety so severe that GPs refer them for specialist help, new figures show.

The numbers of children and young people referred to Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Trust for eating disorders has also more than doubled in the same period, from 194 in 2019-20 to 484 in 2023-24.

The figures, obtained through a freedom of information (FOI) request by Medical Negligence Assist, a legal firm, show that mental health referrals have soared in the area since 2019. The firm sent out FOI requests to 74 trusts and boards that provide children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). It asked for the number of CAMHS referrals in the last five years as well as the primary reason for referral. It also enquired about the average and maximum waiting times for treatments.

In 2019-20, there were 616 referrals made to Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Trust for children and young people diagnosed by GPs with suffering from severe anxiety. By 2023-24, the figure had risen to a record high of 1,327, an increase of 115% in five years.

The average waiting time for a first appointment in the area after a referral is now eight weeks, the figures show, but in the last year some young people are waited as long as 39 weeks to see someone.

The biggest increase, however, in children’s mental health referrals at Avon & Wiltshire was for neurodevelopmental conditions excluding autism and ADHD. The number of referrals increased from 13 in 2019/20 to 120 in 2023/24.

Cyberbullying can fuel anxiety in children

In better news, the number of young people referred to mental health services for other primary causes – low mood or depression, trauma, behavioural difficulties, suicidal ideation, self-harm, emotional dysregulation, ADHD or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) – have all remained largely the same since 2019.

The increase in Wiltshire reflects the wider national picture. The most recent NHS statistics show that more than 500 children a day in England are being referred to mental health services for anxiety.

In September this year, the children’s commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, said: “I was horrified to see the latest NHS Statistics… For children and young people, each year is a significant portion of their young lives, so we need a fresh approach that intervenes much earlier to prevent children from reaching crisis point.”

There are a number of possible explanations for the rise in the number of under-18s experiencing mental health problems, including the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns, bullying on social media and cost-of-living pressures. Andy Bell, the chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health, said: “Our research indicates that academic pressures, particularly those related to exams, have intensified in the last 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.”

Sean Duggan, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network, has said the increase in demand is putting pressure on the NHS: “While services are seeing far more children and young people, the increase in prevalence, demand, complexity and severity of need means that services are often struggling to meet that demand.”