Portsmouth MP raises fears over childhood mental health crisis

Stephen Morgan, Portsmouth South MP, is demanding action from the government to address the crisis before it escalates further.

It comes as new figures revealed a rise in the number of youngsters struggling with disorders amid a drop in the number of mental health care specialists being recruited.

The figures, collected by NHS Digital and released by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, show that one in eight (12.8 per cent) of those aged between five and 19 had a mental disorder in England in 2017. 

But only one in four youngsters with a mental disorder are seen by a mental health specialist and more than 400,000 youngsters are not getting any professional help at all.

Mr Morgan said: '˜The government talks a lot about improvements to mental health services but that is all it is, talk.

'˜The Children and Young People's Mental Health Green Paper sets out plans to improve service provision and strengthen the link between schools and the NHS.

But by the Government's own estimates, a quarter of a million children and young people who could be helped will still be missing out in five years, this is simply not good enough. Young people in Portsmouth and across the country need better access to support now.'