TROUBLED MINDS

Why are young people struggling more than ever before?

- FRANCES LEATE

Growing up isn't easy, as we all know. Children and young people face a multitude of challenges including peer pressure, educational pressures and surging hormones, to name just a few.

But these days, young people seem to be struggling a lot more with their mental health. Some one in five children and young people in England now has a probable mental health condition, such as generalised anxiety, depression, ADHD, PTSD or an eating disorder.

Since the Covid pandemic, the numbers have risen sharply – between 2020/21 and 2022/23, mental health referrals for children and young people increased by more than 50%. And now, most health professionals and politicians seem to agree, the UK is seeing a crisis that the NHS simply can’t keep up with.

For those aged from 10 to 24, mental health disorders now account for a staggering 45% of health conditions and, tragically, suicide is the leading cause of death. And it’s not just the young that are suffering as parents are often feeling desperate and powerless to help.

We speak to one mum who knows exactly what it’s like...

'It feels like no one is listening'

Jade Zammit, 36, lives with her husband, 36, son, nine, and daughter, five. She offers an insight into a week in the life of a parent coping with their child's anxiety.

MONDAY

I wake at 6am, at least an hour before my son and daughter, so I can shower, do yoga and prepare for my working day. It's a tiny bit of time for myself, allowing me the calm and patience I need for what comes next.

'Mummy, my tummy feels funny. What if something bad happens?' my son panics, as I try to get him up for school. This has become a regular occurrence after he started to become really anxious three years ago in certain social situations, with no obvious trigger.