Children as young as six accessing mental health support in the East Midlands
There are fears “more children are reaching crisis point"
Children as young as six are seeking help for their mental health in the East Midlands.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) warned that “more children are reaching crisis point” as figures show a significant rise in the number of children seeking help from A&Es in England.
'The main issue is... anxiety'
Casy is a charity offering counselling to children between the ages of 6 and adults aged 25 in the East Midlands. Caroline Wright is a clinical lead:
"The main issue young people come to us with is anxiety. That can cover children worried about their parents separating, to children with OCD and eating disorders.
"It is caused by a lack of children having someone to talk to. Generally, adults do not have time to sit down with young people and talk to them about their worries," she said.
Caroline told us they were anticipating extra pressure now children in the East Midlands are heading back to school: "For young people who are isolated or already suffering with their mental health, the holidays can be a long time without support.
"Children who are living in poverty or in families with mental health issues, they need to go to school in order for people to spot it and support them.
"For children as young as six, life still happens. As adults, we forget how we impact and life impacts young people. That is why we work with young children, to get through to them early," she said.
A rise...
The figures also revealed a three-fold increase in children facing long waits in A&E when they have attended with a mental health concern – including hundreds waiting for more than three days.
In 2025, 75,491 children and young people aged 6–17 attended emergency departments in England with a recorded mental health concern, up from 55,525 in 2019, according to NHS England figures analysed by the RCPCH.
This represents a 36% rise in mental health-related A&E attendances among children since 2019.
Long waits...
And among these children, some are waiting for more than three days for appropriate mental health support and a safe place to be discharged to.
Some 338 were in A&E for more than 72 hours in 2025, up from 55 in 2019.
RCPCH warned that A&Es are not designed to meet the needs of children and young people in a mental health crisis.
'In distress'
It has called on the Government to use the upcoming Mental Health Strategy to focus on prevention and improved access to early support so fewer children reach crisis point.
Dr Sam Jones, RCPCH officer for mental health said: “Behind every one of these figures is a child or young person in distress, and a family who didn’t know where else to turn.
“Emergency Departments are a vital safety net, but they were never designed to be a place where children in mental health crisis wait for days at a time.
“Our health system is under mounting pressure.
“More children are reaching crisis point, and when they do, they are waiting longer, often far longer, to get the help they need despite the best efforts of paediatricians to care for these children," they said.
The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.