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Understanding Children and Young People’s Mental Health

Barriers children and young people may face seeking
a diagnosis

We have discovered throughout this course so far that mental health difficulties in
children and young people are common and diagnosable, and if left untreated can
cast a long shadow over the rest of the individual’s life.

The government report Future in Mind sets out what is needed in the UK to enable
excellent services and support for children and young people with mental ill health,
and identifies where the current problems lie. It’s therefore important to recognise any
barriers there may be that prevent young people accessing the help and support they
need in a timely way.

Key Fact

Stigma can create a ‘conspiracy of silence’ about mental health
difficulties which prevents older children from seeking help or
disclosing distress.
Source: https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/sites/default/
files/2018-09/CentreforMentalHealth_MissedOpportunities.pdf

The same report also notes that lack of knowledge and awareness about mental
health conditions causes uncertainty about whether help is needed or not, and results
in delays in seeking support.
People may not know where to go for help and may find some systems and services
off-putting or frightening if and when they do reach them. There can also be long
waiting times for services.

Families and friends can unwittingly express views that make the young person feel
ashamed and unwilling to seek support. Making judgemental comments like ‘she’s
an attention seeker’ or ‘he’s a hypochondriac’ are more likely to result in the young
person trying to hide their distress and symptoms.

There is evidence that the current system of tiers of provision (covered in Section 2)
result in children and young people having to fit into the service provided rather than the
service fitting the changing needs of the child. The tiers model has also been criticised
for creating barriers between different services, albeit unintentionally, so that care and
support can be disjointed with young people ‘falling through the gaps’.

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