Projections from the Centre for Mental Health, involving NHS economists, suggest demand for child mental health support post pandemic will be up to three times greater than the capacity of mental health services.
With children’s mental health services already under strain before the pandemic, families in some areas are being confronted with waiting times of up to four years for support.
An extra 1.5 million children will need mental health support “as a direct impact of the pandemic” in the next three to five years.
In May it was reported that children's mental health needs had shot up by a third since the start of the pandemic
The Daily Telegraph reports that private therapists are saying they are also receiving double the amount of calls they usually have and are having to turn patients away.
Lockdowns and social distancing have left a legacy of behavioural problems for children and families, with many children fearing contracting the virus.
Children as young as five are reporting fear of meeting friends, or leaving their homes.
The Children’s Commissioner for England Dame Rachel De Souza said a survey of over half a million children shows that mental health is their biggest concern.
She said: “Coming out of lockdown and not knowing how to make friends anymore, not knowing how to talk to anyone else. Everyone is on edge."
DR UK’s Fazilet Hadi said: “As hidden disabilities, mental health conditions are often swept under the carpet. Families with children with poor mental health are often left to just get on with it, with little or no resources or tick box solutions which are not individually child-centred.
“The impacts of poor mental health in childhood are often felt for a lifetime. We know that the one in seven children who are neurodiverse are at even greater risk of poor mental health.
“We have heard from countless families about how ineffective the current support systems such as CAMHS are even before the pandemic.
“The government needs to commit to significant spending and reform of children’s mental health services before it is too late for this generation.”