Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2022 - wave 3 follow up to the 2017 survey

This section presents findings on help-seeking for mental health concerns, including sources of support and outcomes for children and young people reporting contact with services.  

Parents of children aged 7 to 16 years who reported that they had a concern about the mental health of their child were asked if they had sought help or advice for the concern. The same question was asked of young people aged 17 to 24 years who had a concern about their own mental health. 

In the 2022 survey, which took place in April/May 2022, they were asked if they had sought support since 1st April 2021. Estimates therefore refer to a period of approximately 1 year.  

Comparisons are presented for children aged 7 to 16 years, and young people aged 17 to 23 years (to allow comparisons with 2021, when 24 year olds were not included). Estimates for 2021 are available in the Excel data tables, but caution should be taken when comparing results over time due to different time periods being covered by each survey. 

In 2022, for children whose parent had a concern about their child’s mental health, 76.4% had a parent who reported seeking help or advice for this concern. This was similar for boys and girls, but more likely if the child had a probable mental disorder (85.1%) than children unlikely to have a mental disorder (64.3%). 

For more information see: Table 4.1 of the Excel data tables.

In 2022, 53.2% of young people aged 17 to 23 years who had a concern about their mental health reported seeking help or advice. Young people were less likely to report seeking help for a concern than parents of children aged 7 to 16 years (76.4% of children whose parent had a concern about their child’s mental health had a parent who sought help for their concern). 

For more information see: Table 4.1 of the Excel data tables.

All parents of children aged 7 to 16 years were asked whether they had sought any help or advice about their child’s mental health since April 2021 from a list of informal sources (such as family and friends) and services (including health and education). 

Health services included primary care, social care, paediatrics or child health, and specialist mental health services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. 

Education included teachers or university staff, school, college or university based mental health support services, and educational support services. In 2022, the response options relating to education were updated to include someone from a school Mental Health Support Team as an example of school based mental health support services. 

The question was asked to all parents, regardless of whether or not they reported having concerns about the mental health of their child. The same question was asked to all young people aged 17 to 24 years. 

In the 2022 survey, which took place in April/May 2022, participants were asked if they had sought support since 1st April 2021. Estimates therefore refer to a period of approximately 1 year.  

Comparisons are presented for children aged 7 to 16 years, and young people aged 17 to 23 years (to allow comparisons with 2021, when 24 year olds were not included). Estimates for 2021 are available in the Excel data tables, but caution should be taken when comparing results over time due to different time periods being covered by each survey. 

Among children aged 7 to 16 years in 2022, the most commonly reported sources of help and advice for a mental health concern by parents were education services (32.6%), followed by friends or family (17.9%). The least commonly reported sources were Accident and Emergency (0.9%) and text chat mental health support (0.8%). Estimates for all sources of help and advice are presented in Table 4.2 of the Excel data tables. 

Figure 4.1 base: 7 to 16 year olds.

In 2022, the most commonly reported sources of help and advice by parents for children with a probable mental disorder were: 

• education services (82.7%) 
• health services (51.1%) 
• friends or family (46.5%) 
• online or telephone support (38.0%) 

Parents of children with a probable mental disorder were more likely than parents of those unlikely to have a mental disorder to have sought help or advice for a concern from each of the listed sources above. In addition, just over 1 in 9 (12.3%) children with a probable mental disorder had a parent who reported seeking help and advice from a private, paid for service, compared with fewer than 1 in 100 children unlikely to have a mental disorder (0.7%). 

For more information see: Table 4.2 of the Excel data tables.

The most commonly reported sources of help and advice for a mental health concern reported by young people aged 17 to 23 years in 2022 were family or friends (42.6%), followed by online or telephone support (19.3%). The least commonly reported source of help and advice was Accident and Emergency (2.0%). Estimates for all sources of help and advice are presented in Table 4.2 of the Excel data tables. 

Compared with parents of children aged 7 to 16 years, young people were more likely to report contacting friends or family for help and advice (42.6% of young people compared with 17.9% of children). As might be expected given that some young people were no longer in education, they were less likely to report contacting education services for mental health support (17.8% of young people compared with 32.6% of children whose parents reported this).  

There were some differences in sources of support by sex in this age group. Whilst 51.4% of young women reported contacting friends and family for help and advice, this was reported by 34.5% of young men. Young women were also more likely to use online or telephone support than young men (25.4% compared with 13.7%).  

Figure 4.2 base: 17 to 23 year olds.

The most commonly reported sources of help and advice for a mental health concern in young people aged 17 to 23 years with a probable mental disorder were: 

• friends or family (58.5%) 
• online or telephone support (39.6%) 
• health services (34.9%) 
• education services (34.1%) 

Young people with a probable mental disorder were more likely than those unlikely to have a mental disorder to have sought help or advice for a concern from all the listed sources above. 

For more information see: Table 4.2 of the Excel data tables.

A question about the outcomes of service contact was asked to parents of children aged 7 to 16 years and young people aged 17 to 24 years if they said they had been in contact with any of the following services since 1st April 2021, because of a mental health concern: 

• school or university mental health support services 
• primary health care 
• specialist mental health services such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services or Adult Mental Health Services 
• Accident and Emergency or an emergency department 

The question was asked if they reported being in contact with any of the above services regardless of whether they were unlikely to be, possibly or probably demonstrating a mental health condition. The question asked what happened after contact with each of the specified services, for example, whether they received treatment or were referred elsewhere. More than 1 outcome could be given. This question was only asked in 2022. Sample sizes are small for some groups; therefore, these estimates are imprecise and should be treated with caution. 

Among children who had contact in the previous 12 months with the specified services regarding a mental health concern, commonly reported outcomes were: 

• 35.5% were signposted to sources of support 
• 35.1% were referred to a different service or professional 
• 33.3% received treatment, such as medication or counselling 
• 22.9% received an assessment for a mental health condition 

Of those who had contact with the specified services, 10.4% reported receiving a mental health diagnosis. 

Among children who had contact in the previous 12 months with services, those with a probable mental disorder were more likely than those unlikely to have a mental disorder to report receiving an assessment for a mental health condition (29.0% compared with 9.5%). They were also more likely to report receiving a diagnosis (13.9% compared with 3.3%) and to be referred elsewhere (45.2% compared with 17.5%). 

For more information see: Table 4.3 of the Excel data tables.

Among young people aged 17 to 24 years who had contact with the specified services regarding a mental health concern, the most commonly reported outcome was receiving treatment, such as medication or counselling with 62.5% reporting this. Other reported outcomes included: 

• 42.1% were signposted to sources of support 
• 35.8% received an assessment for a mental health condition 
• 27.9% were referred to a different service or professional 
• 21.9% reported receiving a mental health diagnosis 
• 20.8% felt no further support or treatment were needed 

There were some differences between outcomes reported by parents for children aged 7 to 16 years, and outcomes reported by young people. Young people were more likely to report receiving a diagnosis following service contact (21.9% compared with 10.4%) and to report receiving treatment (62.5% compared with 33.3%).  

For more information see: Table 4.3 of the Excel data tables.