By Sophie Borland Health Editor For The Daily Mail
Published: 00:01 BST, 10 April 2019 | Updated: 00:17 BST, 10 April 2019
View
comments
Teenagers with mental health conditions are being refused NHS treatment unless they have tried to take their own lives, the Children's Commissioner has warned.
Anne Longfield said clinics were struggling to cope with an epidemic of self-harm, anxiety and depression, and are now turning patients away.
Her own research found a third of health trusts have slashed funding for children's mental health despite it being a Government priority.
Teenagers with mental health conditions are being refused NHS treatment unless they have tried to take their own lives, the Children's Commissioner has warned. Stock image
Some areas of the country are spending just £5.32 per head on treatment – at a time when reported mental illness is rising.
Mrs Longfield said there is currently an 'epidemic' of mental health disorders in young people, especially teenage girls.
This is being fuelled by the pressures of social media and increasingly demanding school environments, she said.
The Children's Commissioner added that GPs are now resorting to putting youngsters on antidepressants, against medical guidelines, because specialist clinics are too in demand.
Mrs Longfield said: 'Right from day one in this job children and professionals and parents have come through the door to tell me how difficult it is to get help.
'What some have said to me is that they know they won't be able to get help until they get worse. What they've chillingly said is that thinking suicidal thoughts isn't enough – we have to have actually tried to take our own life.'
The Children's Commissioner obtained data on NHS spending on conditions including self-harm, depression, anxiety and eating disorders.
The figures show 35 per cent of health trusts – or Clinical Commissioning Groups – cut this funding between 2016/17 and 2018/19. In
