About 60% of children under 18 who have been referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) by their GP are not getting the treatment they require, according to research by Spurgeons children’s charity.
The charity obtained data from over 30 NHS trusts through Freedom of Information requests between 2010-2016. The new figures also revealed a worrying gender divide, with more than three-quarters (77%) of A&E admissions for self-harm coming from girls.
As a response, Spurgeons has begun an ‘innovative programme for young people’ that seeks to combat the rise in self-harm. The charity’s Family Intervention for Self Harm (FISH) programme will identify and help young people who do not have a formal mental health diagnosis, which means they are not able to access services such as CAMHS.
Jag Basra, Assistant Psychologist and Lead of FISH, said: ‘It has become increasingly apparent that many young people that self-harm do not have a diagnosed specific mental health condition, leaving this particular group without some form of support provision.
‘The facts are harrowing. At least four young people in every secondary school class are now self-harming. Within the last decade we’ve seen a considerable rise in the range of mental health issues impacting young people, in part due to social media pressures and the ongoing stigma towards speaking about our mental health.’
The figures come at a time when A&E admissions for self-harm by young people have risen by 50% over the past five years, marking the latest in a seven-year stretch of rising admissions. As such, the government has recently committed to dedicating more resources to mental health services to tackle the alarming rise.
‘For some children and young people, self harming can be used as a coping strategy to manage heightened emotions, therefore increasing the risk of recurring self harm incidents.
‘Supporting young people and their families as early as possible to explore and understand the complexities and impact surrounding self harm is vital for their ongoing wellbeing,’ said Jag Basra.
Spurgeons hopes this can be done through their new FISH programme, which would have the effect of helping young people who suffer from self-harm early, while relieving pressure on the NHS. Under the programme, GPs, schools and social workers can refer those in risk to the FISH programme, thus reducing the number of direct entrants to CAMHS.
Ross Hendry, CEO of Spurgeons, said: ‘We know these are hard times and NHS budgets have many competing priorities. We believe that charities like ours can play a crucial role in helping to safeguard these vulnerable young people. FISH will ease the pressure on CAMHS, enabling them to increase the rates of young people they treat who are at crisis point.’
Jas Basra added: ‘Ultimately the long term implications of self-harm are frightening, and in some cases fatal, and it is for this reason that addressing self harm needs to be a major public health priority.’