One in five children and young people between the ages of eight and 25 are now thought to have a mental health disorder. School Nurse at Thomas’s Putney Vale, London, and Cross-School Medical Lead for the Thomas’s Group, Jane Graham, considers this trend, how developing resilience can help, and the role a school nurse can play.
An often-asked question today is “Has the number of children struggling with mental illness increased since Covid?” And according to the Mental Health Foundation, an increase in children presenting with mental health problems has been seen. Awareness has certainly increased through education and guidance. And the media has also frequently highlighted increases in mental illness, encouraging discussion about it in general. However, as the Mental Health Foundation say in their Children and Young People Consultation the fact is, mental illness has always been around…