One in three young people is suffering from mental troubles such as depression, negative feelings or inability to focus, a survey of more than 5,500 British teenagers has found.
The findings suggest that more school-age children than previously thought are struggling with their mental and emotional wellbeing, including problems sleeping properly.
Of the 5,555 people aged between 13 and 15 from across the UK who answered the charity Action for Children’s survey, 1,840 were found to have an issue.
All 5,555 participants took part in a research exercise using the CES-D scale, which asks 20 questions about someone’s mental welfare and yields a potential maximum score of 60.
A third of the teenagers had a score of at least 20, which meant Action for Children recommended that they receive treatment to help them as part of the charity’s “blues programmeâ€. It offers psychological support to pupils who are feeling depressed.
Nearest tube: Elephant & Castle underground station (Northern and Bakerloo lines).
Nearest Railway Station: Elephant & Castle
Buses from Elephant and Castle: ask bus driver for Burgess Park. Bus numbers: 12, 171, 148, 176, 68, 484, 42, 40, 45