Mapping the Mental Health of the UK’s Young People

The Centre for Mental Health have released an incredble map tool that draws the latest data (2024) to show prevalence of mental health difficulties across the UK - Mapping the mental health of the UK's young people: Source details for indicators  - Centre for Mental Health. The map tool including rates of eating disorders and self-harm, hospital admissions and secondary care referrals, and wider factors such as loneliness, school absence and bullying. It reveals stark disparities in children’s mental health across the four nations of the UK and between local areas.

The key findings across the four nations include:

- Levels of loneliness are reported to be comparatively high among children and young people in Scotland, with 139 in 1,000 11-18 year olds feeling lonely often or always, compared to 55 in 1,000 11-16 year olds in England.
- High proportions of children and young people in Wales report experiencing bullying, both online and in person.
- Northern Ireland has higher rates of school absence compared to the other nations, with Belfast reporting the highest percentage at 15.2%.
- In England, young people in their late teenage years report significantly greater prevalence of eating disorders compared to younger children. The figure jumps from 26 out of 1,000 11-16 year olds to 125 out of 1,000 17-19 year olds.

Check out the report here: Mapping the mental health of the UK's young people - Centre for Mental Health