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A study published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health looks at admission to acute medical wards for mental health concerns among children and young people.
Professor Eamon McCrory, CEO at Anna Freud, a mental health charity for children and young people, and Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology at UCL, said:
“It’s deeply concerning to see that mental health admissions for children and young people have been steadily increasing in acute hospitals. We know that the number of children and young people in contact with mental health services has more than doubled since 2018, leaving community specialist services overwhelmed.1,2 The robust data presented in this study indicates that some young people are reaching crisis point and needing to turn to general hospitals for support. While the COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly impacted the mental health of young people, it is significant that this research highlights admissions have been rising since 2012. This suggests that other factors like poverty, increased academic pressure and exposure to a rapidly evolving digital world have been reshaping young lives for much longer.
“The best way to tackle mental ill health is by intervening to reduce the risk of problems developing in the first place. Such a prevention-first approach includes providing the foundations for wellbeing, particularly investing in social capital, alongside addressing risk factors like poverty and homelessness. Increased investment in early intervention initiatives within communities is also a key part of the solution – such as children’s centres or early support hubs – which can offer support before problems escalate. Experience tells us that these initiatives are most likely to succeed if developed in partnership with diverse groups of children and young people.
“These important findings highlight further the pressing need for a comprehensive, cross-government mental health prevention strategy. This would lay the foundations for better wellbeing for the next generation, easing pressure on specialist services in the long-term.”
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Dr Maria Loades, Reader/Clinical Tutor & NIHR Advanced Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, said:
“This UCL study highlights the growing rates of mental health inpatient admissions, and in particular, eating disorder related admissions. At least in part, this may relate to impacts of the pandemic restrictions on young people’s mental health, like the association between social isolation and loneliness and mental health problems like depression and anxiety which we highlight in our own work 1, 2. We need to identify more scalable and accessible interventions that work, as mental health services generally cannot meet the demand, and hence, many cannot access help in a timely manner. Therefore, we are currently working on digital self-help single session interventions to expand on current provision 3.”
Dr Lucy Maddox, NIHR Clinical Academic Fellow, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, said:
“This is an interesting paper which uses data from the last ten years to examine trends in admissions to physical health wards for mental health related problems, in young people up to the age of 18. The rise shown in young people under 18 admitted to physical health wards due to mental health problems is striking, and largely (though not solely) related to the rise the UK has seen in eating disorders (which was highlighted by the Children’s Commissioner in 2023). The UK is not alone in seeing a rise in eating disorders, with US data also showing an increase in diagnoses. The authors of this study quite rightly point out that whilst some mental health problems may also require physical health care, it is vital that physical health wards have the resources available to deal with mental health in a compassionate and caring way. These trends suggest that close liaison between mental and physical wards should be enabled (and this requires adequate staffing to make it possible), and that training for physical healthcare staff in mental healthcare approaches would be beneficial.”
Prof Bernadka Dubicka, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Hull and York Medical School University of York, said:
“These findings reflect the harrowing situation many young people in distress and their families face when seeking help for their mental health. The increase in medical admissions reflects the increase seen in the community of mental health problems, the vast increase in demand for CAMHS, and the ongoing workforce shortage, which impacts on young people being unable to access help when they need it. Without urgent investment in prevention, such as addressing child poverty, and early intervention to prevent crises, young people will continue to be driven to our emergency departments and be managed in completely inappropriate, distressing environments. The rise in self-harm and eating disorder presentations particularly in girls is worrying; although the precise cause of this remains unclear, the contagious influence of potentially harmful social media content needs to be further examined, including by OFCOM and the online harms legislation. Although this study examined mental health diagnoses, it was unable to look at many vulnerable groups, such as autistic young people and those in care, who are at high risk of mental health problems and where community support is often desperately lacking. Although we need more research into such groups and the causes of this mental health crisis, this is not a reason to postpone government inaction now.”
‘Admission to acute medical wards for mental health concerns among children and young people in England from 2012 to 2022: a cohort study’ by Joseph L Ward et al. was published in The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health at 23:30 UK Time Wednesday 22nd January 2025.
Declared interests
Prof Bernadka Dubicka: None.
Dr Lucy Maddox: Has worked in the NHS as a clinical psychologist. Currently holds a clinical academic fellowship at the University of Bath, funded by the National Institute of Health Research.
Professor Eamon McCrory: no COIs to declare
Dr Maria Loades: No conflicts.