Saturday, April 26, 2008

More children are suffering from mental health problems, says report

Rising numbers of children are suffering mental health problems caused by family breakdown and peer pressure, a report suggests.

It says that more than a quarter of under-16s regularly feel depressed because of the stresses of family life, friendships and school. The report by the Good Childhood Inquiry, which heard evidence from mental health experts, says that 13 per cent of girls between 13 and 15 years old and 10 per cent of boys in the same age group suffer from mental health problems, yet there is little treatment on offer.

The report is part of a two-year inquiry into the state of modern childhood commissioned by the Children’s Society. It comes after Unicef concluded that Britain was one of the worst places in the industrialised world to be a child.

Thousands of children took part in the study. Twenty-seven per cent of those aged 14 to 16 said that they often felt depressed, and 22 worried about the state of their physical health. Anxiety about appearance was mentioned by seven out of ten under16s, who said that they dieted some or all of the time. Family breakdown was a common problem.

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