Lockdown contributed to three children taking their own lives, says CCG

A report to the Kent and Medway CCG revealed there had been seven attempts by young people between 13 and 17 to take their own lives, between March and May this year, Three were successful.

The individuals were from different geographical areas, not all of them were known to services, and there is not a common cause or link between them. However, the CCG says that lockdown appears to have been a factor in making existing issues worse. Details of the young people involved have not been released. 

“A range of different factors appear to have contributed to the attempts and deaths of the young people,” the report says. Referring to the “cluster” of deaths, it adds: “These appear to include conditions that impact on impulse control, special needs, domestic violence, mental illness, each seemingly exacerbated by lockdown.”

According to the Independent, NHS England’s national clinical director for mental health recently told a Royal Society of Medicine webinar that children were being hit hard by the lockdown, and urged trusts to go out and find children who were in difficulty. He added that calls to Childline had increased 50 per cent in recent months and highlighted issues of children with autism and ADHD.

Rachel Jones, director of strategy and population health for Kent and Medway CCG, said: “The death of any young person is a tragedy, particularly when they have ended their own life, and our deepest sympathies are with the families and friends of the three young people that have died. Local services are working closely to understand what led to these tragic events, and how to make sure the young people and their families get the support they need.

“Disruption to regular routines and contact with friends and school can create additional pressure on the mental wellbeing of young people, particularly those who have existing mental health issues and/or come from difficult home backgrounds. We have taken action throughout the pandemic to support access to mental health services for young people and have communicated to schools about the resources that are available to cascade through their remote contact with pupils, as well as continuing to promote local services directly to young people.”

Children’s and adolescents’ mental health services in the area are provided by North East London Foundation Trust. Gill Burns, director of children’s services for Essex and Kent, said: “I’d like to extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of these young people. During the pandemic, we have remained focused on continuing to provide children and young people with mental healthcare and support across Kent and Medway.

“Our children and young people’s mental health services have remained open and we have continued to triage, treat and care for our patients as before. We have made changes to the way we provide some of this care in line with the restrictions of covid-19, including using video consultations and online intervention and therapy tools where appropriate.

“Our single point of access service has continued to take referrals from patients and families directly, as well as from GPs and others, and our crisis team have provided support to anyone who needed urgent help.

“We will continue to work with our health and care partners across Kent and Medway to ensure children and young people have access to the mental health support they need.”

YoungMinds research early on in the pandemic showed that 83 per cent of youngsters with existing mental health problems felt covid-19 and the measures to control it made their mental health worse.

Tom Madders, director of campaigns, said: “While the factors behind mental health problems are usually complex and multiple, we know that many children and young people have struggled to adjust to the changes that have come about from the coronavirus pandemic. Whether that’s because they miss friends, are struggling to manage without the structure of school, or have lost their coping mechanisms or professional support, the crisis has put added pressure on many young people.

“The government is rightly focused on tackling the coronavirus pandemic we’re currently facing, but we know that more young people have been struggling with their mental health during lockdown, and that – despite huge efforts by mental health professionals – some are finding it difficult to access services. To tackle the anticipated rise in mental health needs of young people, the government must take action and commit to introducing additional support now and as we emerge from the pandemic.”

A total of 188 young people under 20 took their own lives in England in 2018, according to the Office for National Statistics. Just 10 were aged under 15.