Children from deprived areas more likely to need mental health referral
Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 17 October, 2022
Referral rates to secondary mental health services are 57 per cent higher among children from deprived areas than those in more affluent neighbourhoods, government figures for under-18s reveal.
But despite the disparity, Health and Social Care Secretary Thérèse Coffey has scrapped the government’s white paper on health inequalities.
Secondary mental health services can involve referrals to mental health wards, psychological wellbeing services, community mental health teams or other specialist support. The striking difference between deprived and more affluent areas indicates either a greater propensity to make referrals, greater need, or both.
“The more deprived areas need more funding for these services,” Professor David Taylor-Robinson of the University of Liverpool said. “And within areas, you need to consider equity of access according to social deprivation and make sure that the kids in the most disadvantaged areas are getting referred to those services.”
Referrals data is based on ‘lower super output areas’ (LSOAs) - the small geographical areas used in official deprivation statistics. Each LSOA includes 1,500 people on average.
The rate at which under-18s were referred to secondary mental health services in the poorest fifth of LSOAs in Bristol was nearly four times as high as the rate in the richest fifth.
In north Somerset, the rate was more than three times as high in the poorest fifth of LSOAs, while in a further 20 local authority areas – including Stockton, Trafford, Northumberland and Westminster – the rate in the poorest fifth of LSOAs was at least double that in the richest fifth.
The latest figures back findings from earlier research published by the Health Foundation in July which revealed that in 2021, one in six young people aged six–16 years in England had a probable mental health
disorder – equivalent to 1.3 million individuals who might benefit from support.
Researchers noted: "There is a stark contrast between areas of differing socioeconomic deprivation. In the 20 per cent most deprived areas, compared to the 20 per cent least
deprived, crisis referrals were 60 per cent higher among children and young people in touch with services in Leeds; there were twice as many prescriptions and 1.7 times as many referrals in Grampian; and there were close to twice as many crisis presentations to acute services in Wales.
"Unmet mental health needs cause avoidable distress and disrupt a child or young person’s development at a crucial time in their lives. The case for early intervention is powerful, not
only to prevent conditions from worsening but to improve the outcomes for people who develop enduring mental ill health.
"The rising level of mental ill health among children and young people is also a threat to the future health and prosperity of society. Half of all lifetime cases of mental health disorders
begin by age 15, and three-quarters of lifetime mental illness is experienced by the mid-20s."
Researchers recommend more efficient data collection and analsyis, and better linkage of data to understand experiences across care pathways is sought, along with the collection of data for schools and the voluntary sector to cover those children turned away from secondary specialist services.