Mental health statistics

In this section, you will find key statistics about children and young people's mental health and wellbeing.

1 in 10 children and young people aged 5 - 16 suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder - that is around three children in every class (¹⁾.
Between 1 in every 12 and 1 in 15 children and young people deliberately self-harm⁽²⁾ and around 25,000 are admitted to hospital every year due to the severity of their injuries (³⁾.
More than half of all adults with mental health problems were diagnosed in childhood. Less than half were treated appropriately at the time (⁴⁾.
Nearly 80,000 children and young people suffer from severe depression⁽⁵⁾.
Over 8,000 children aged under 10 years old suffer from severe depression (⁶⁾.
60% of children in care have a mental health disorder - these are some of the most vulnerable people in our society⁽⁷⁾.
95% of imprisoned young offenders have a mental health disorder. Many of them are struggling with more than one disorder^(8).

More detailed statistics

A more detailed analysis of the figures on depression, conduct disorders and anxiety in children.

There are around 8,823,293 children aged between five and 16-years-old in the UK, according to the latest Census which was in April 2001^{(9, 10).} Of these 4,38,047 are aged between 5-10 years old and 4,442,246 are aged between 11-16 years old. The next Census took place on 27 March 2011, but the statistics from this are not yet available.

Mental Disorders

The figures below are based on the finding of the latest ONS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Survey which was published in 2004^(11).

Any figures on the number of children with these disorders are estimates based on the prevalence rates found in this study and the demographics listed above.

9.6% or nearly 850,000 children and young people aged between 5-16 years have a mental disorder
7.7% or nearly 340,000 children aged 5-10 years have a mental disorder
11.5% or about 510,000 young people aged between 11-16 years have a mental disorder

Anxiety

3.3% or about 290,000 children and young people have an anxiety disorder
2.2% or about 96,000 children have an anxiety disorder
4.4% or about 195,000 young people have an anxiety disorder

Depression

0.9% or nearly 80,000 children and young people are seriously depressed
0.2% or about 8,700 aged 5-10 year-olds are seriously depressed.
1.4% or about 62,000 aged 11-16 year-olds are seriously depressed.

Conduct Disorders

5.8% or just over 510,000 children and young people have a conduct disorder
4.9% or nearly 215,000 children have a conduct disorder
6.6% or just over 290,000 young people have a conduct disorder

Hyperkinetic Disorder (Severe ADHD)

1.5% or just over 132,000 children and young people have severe ADHD
1.6% or about 70,000 children have severe ADHD
1.4% or about 62,000 young people have severe ADHD

Sources

¹ Green, H., McGinnity, A., Meltzer, H., et al. (2005). Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain 2004. London: Palgrave.

² Mental Health Foundation (2006). Truth hurts: report of the National Inquiry into self-harm among young people. London: Mental Health Foundation

³ Fox, C. & Hawton, K. (2004). Deliberate self-harm in adolescence. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

⁴ Kim-Cohen, J., Caspi, A., Moffitt, TE., et al (2003): Prior juvenile diagnoses in adults with mental disorder. Archives of general psychiatry, Vol 60, pp.709-717

⁵ Office for National Statistics (2004). Census 2001: national report for England and Wales. London: Office for National Statistics.

⁶ Office for National Statistics (2004). Census 2001: national report for England and Wales. London: Office for National Statistics

⁷ Department for Children, Schools and Families (2009c). Youth cohort study and longitudinal study of young people in England: the activities and experiences of 17 year olds: England 2008. London: DCSF

⁸ Office for National Statistics (1997): Psychiatric morbidity among young offenders in England and Wales. London: Office for National Statistics.

9 Office for National Statistics (2004). Census 2001: national report for England and Wales.

10 Registrar General for Scotland (2002). Scotland's Census 2001: population report. Edinburgh: General Register Office for Scotland.

11 Green, H., McGinnity, A., Meltzer, H., et al. (2005). Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain 2004