Children’s Mental Healthcare: The Painful Journey to Getting Help [Infographic]
Children and parents tell us accessing timely and appropriate mental health support is like driving on a never ending road with potholes, speed breaks, never ending traffic jams, diversions and dead ends.
We’re all familiar with the fact that half of all mental disorders start by the age of 14, but what is less widely known is that the median age of onset of some of the most common types of emotional difficulties (eg. anxiety disorders) is as young as seven. Two out of three children with clinical levels of distress do not get any support and latest data shows a 77% increase in referrals of the most serious and urgent cases, so the journey for children and families remains a distressing experience. Children from disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds are also disproportionately affected by these obstacles to care, despite children living in the poorest households being two to three times more likely to experience mental illness compared to those in the highest income bracket.
We’ve created this journey map to capture what it’s like for children and their families seeking mental health support from a family noticing early signs of difficulties, to not qualifying for a referral from the GP, waiting for up to 18 months in the hope of receiving evidence-based support and finally either dropping off treatment, not having enough sessions, or being left with no support at all. Looking forward, it begs the question -
What do we need to do differently so that no child is unable to access timely and appropriate mental health support?
Find out about our fun, engaging and evidence based therapeutic game for children with anxiety: Lumi Nova: Tales of Courage