A new study has found that over a decade in England the number of mental health-related hospital admissions for young people has risen by 65%.
According to the findings, published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, the number of admissions for young people aged between 5 and 18 has risen from around 24,000 in 2012 to just under 40,000 in 2022.
More than half of those admitted for treatment of mental illness are due to self-harm, the study said.
By comparison, admissions for all reasons to medical wards rose by 10%.
"The increased intensity (of admissions for patients with mental disorders) poses a real challenge for emergency departments, both for patients and their families, and for the staff who support them," states Dr Lee Hudson of University College London (UCL) and lead author of the study.
"There may not be an appropriate environment for this care on the wards, and sometimes staff working there need more training and support in relevant skills," Hudson added.
According to the study authors, the increased incidence is not just related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Certainly, it is critical to understand the factors underlying these presentations to better support the mental health of young patients," Hudson said.
The increase in admissions was particularly large for girls aged 11 to 15, who more than doubled in a decade, and for youth with eating disorders, whose admissions increased by 514.6%.
"The best way to address mental health is by intervening to reduce the risk of problems," said Eamon McCrory, a professor of developmental neuroscience and psychopathology at the University of California, who was not involved in the study.
"These important findings further underscore the urgent need for a comprehensive intergovernmental mental health prevention strategy," he added.
The deteriorating mental health of young people is a global problem, with a recent study finding that the number of mental health visits, hospitalisations and prescriptions for drugs such as antidepressants and others has increased "significantly" among young people in France.
According to the World Health Organization, overall, 1 in 7 people in the world between the ages of 10 and 19 suffers from a mental disorder, with anxiety, depression and behavioural disorders among the most common conditions. | BGNES
