UK lags behind EU in mental health for young people, study finds | Society

EU-funded research has revealed that the number of hospital beds in Europe is one of the lowest in Britain.

According to a study on the care of children under 18 years old in difficulty in the European Union, it is far from the level of supply in many much poorer countries of Eastern Europe, such as Latvia, Estonia and Slovakia.

Britain has 9.4 specialized hospital beds per 100,000 youth for those who suffer from anxiety, depression, psychosis, self-injury and suicidal thoughts. This ranks 18th in a ranking of 28 EU countries, researchers said.

Germany has the most, with 64 beds per 100,000 youth, and Sweden the least, with only 1.2 beds. Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have 39.5, 31.5 and 21 beds per 100,000 children under 18 years of age.

The number of psychiatrists specializing in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) is even lower in the United Kingdom. With only 4.5 psychiatrists per 100,000 youth, it ranks 21st. This is much less than Finland, which has the most, with 36 such specialists per 100,000 under 18 years old.

On this measure, Britain is again behind a group of Eastern European countries such as Estonia (16.8), Lithuania (14) and Latvia (11.2). Bulgaria, which has the fewest countries, has only 1.9 psychiatrists per 100,000 children and adolescents.

Experts warned that the UK's lower ranking meant that under-18s in trouble were not getting the care they needed.

"Our young people deserve better than what they currently receive. The United Kingdom, which is the sixth richest country in the world and has a world-renowned health service for mental health care for children and young people, is unfortunately lagging behind to other EU countries. on many indicators, especially on the number of CAMHS psychiatrists, "said Professor Swaran Singh of the University of Warwick, referring to NHS child and adolescent mental health services.

Singh is one of the academics involved in the Milestone project, to which the EU has given 6 million euros (5.18 million pounds sterling) to review the management of CAMHS, including its availability in the 28 countries.

"The Milestone project has shown how far we are from providing the much-needed help and care for vulnerable youth when they need it the most. Despite repeated promises by successive governments to increase funding for mental health care for young people, the state of services remains worrisome, "added Singh.

Tom Madders, director of campaigns for the charity YoungMinds, said the lack of beds in the UK is forcing young people in mental health crisis to travel far from home just to settle in an NHS unit.

"If young people are so sick that they need hospital care, it is essential that they get it quickly and as close to home as possible. But for the moment, British families are too often forced to travel long distances for inappropriate placements outside the region because the services are overloaded, "Madders said.

At the same time, new research has also revealed that the services of a general practitioner must be able to offer longer appointments to people who are thinking of killing themselves so that they can help reduce the number of deaths. .

While only 2,000 of the 6,000 people who commit suicide each year are in contact with NHS mental health services before their deaths, many others have consulted their family doctor. According to findings from the Center for Mental Health Research and Samaritans, better training and support for at-risk people and more emotional support for those at risk would provide more life-saving care for those with ideas. d & # 39; self-harm.

• In the UK, Samaritans can be contacted at 116 123 or by email at [email protected]. In the United States, the national suicide prevention policy is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service, Lifeline, is 13 11 14. You will find other international hotlines on suicide at www.befrienders. org.