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Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health
Several mental health conditions including bipolar disorder and depression can
give rise to suicidal thoughts. A sudden escalation of the symptoms and effects
of an existing condition can be considered an emergency, particularly if there are
inadequate support systems in place.
The number of attendances of children at A&E with psychiatric conditions is up 8% to
18,673 in 2014-15, compared with 17,278 last year. That is double the 9,328 total
of 2010-11. Sarah Brennan, chief executive of Young Minds, a charity working with
children with mental illnesses, said:
‘Support in the community needs to be provided for children, young people and
their families when they start to struggle, so that we can prevent the intense
suffering that a mental health crisis can cause.’
Source: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/dec/26/child-mental-health-
accident-and-emergency-nhs
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