Statistics About Young People

Young people are suffering from mental health problems all over the UK, most are unaware of the help and advise available to them and therefore keep their feelings and thoughts to themselves, allowing the disorder to get worse as time goes on. Below shows just how common problems are in young people in the UK according to their sex and age group.

What are the issues in relation to young people and mental health?

In 1995, the Health Advisory Service estimated that in a total population of 250,000, of which 20 to 25 per cent are aged 0 to 18 years, one might expect between 5,000 and 12,000 children to have a mental health problem at any one time. This approximates to between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of all those under 18 years of age. The overall level tends to be higher in older children because some disorders persist and others arise in later childhood. Levels of mental health problems have been found to be twice as high for children living in inner cities, compared with those living in rural situations. [35].

In 1999, a survey carried out by the ONS found that among children aged 5 to15 years:[36]

five per cent had clinically significant conduct disorders;

four per cent were assessed as having emotional disorders – anxiety and depression

one per cent was rated as showing signs of hyperkinesis (hyperactivity).

eleven per cent of boys had a mental disorder compared with eight per cent of girls.

Children with mental health problems in Britain - by age and sex [37]

Age group	Female	Male
5 to 10 years old	6 %	10 %
11 to 15 years old	10 %	13 %

(Statistics from Mind.org.uk)

The small table above suggests that mental disorders in young people are much more common in males than females, and also that the percentage of people suffering from those illnesses rises as they get older. Statistics from older generations show that these disorders are more common in females which suggests females develop certain illnesses later on in life.

Depression is more often recognised in children now and the prevalence of both deliberate self-harm and substance abuse is increasing in this group. There are differences relating to ethnicity, but this is not a well-researched area and requires further study. Emotional and conduct disorders are most common and are found, on average, in around 10 per cent of children and 20 per cent of adolescents. It is estimated that four to five per cent of children below 12 years of age suffer distress as a result of emotional disorders and that two per cent of children experience depressive symptoms sufficient to warrant a specialist consultation. Psychotic disorders occur in young people from the age of puberty onwards. The prevalence of obsessive compulsive disorder is in the order of two per cent. Eating problems occur in about one per cent of 15 to 19 years olds, with the age of peak incidence being 16; they are more common in girls than in boys. Hyperactivity is a relatively common problem – affecting between 10 and 20 per cent of children. It is estimated that 35 per cent of physically abused children show psychiatric problems and research has shown symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder in the majority of abused children. Young offenders have high rates of mental health problems; a diagnosis of a primary mental disorder can be made in a third of young men aged 16 to 18 years who have been sentenced by a court.[38]

The ONS 1999 survey also found that there were marked differences in the prevalence of mental disorders among children by social class. Children of families in Social Class V (unskilled occupations) were about three times more likely to have a mental health problem than those in social class I; 16 per cent compared with five per cent and about twice as likely as those in social class II (employers and managers).

Homelessness among young people also brings significant problems. Off to a bad start, a study of homeless people in London aged 16 to 21 years, found that almost two thirds had suffered recently from psychiatric disorders.A third also reported at least one attempted suicide at some point. Only one fifth, however, had been in contact with psychiatric services in the past year.[39]

Are children who have been abused more likely to experience mental health problems than those who have not?

A review of the surveys of larger, non clinical populations in 21 different countries confirms that child sex abuse is an international problem and that the estimated prevalence ranges from 7 per cent to 36 per cent for women and 3 per cent to 29 per cent for men.[40] Evidence shows that children who have been abused are at greater risk of experiencing mental and emotional distress in adulthood.[41]

(Statistics from Mind.org.uk)

If you would like to find out more about sexual, physical or emotional abuse in relation to children or adults, please have a look at our Abuse section. If you want to find information on other areas of distress then please see our Types of Distress section.