‘Jaw-dropping’ number of children in England with anxiety shocks even professionals

Pressures on children that come with growing up, as well as the fallout from the pandemic and wider societal unrest, are contributing to mental health struggles, experts say. Photograph: Richard Drury/Getty Images

Even for those who see children with anxiety in the NHS every day, the figures are breathtaking.

“They really do make your jaw drop,” said a doctor working in children’s mental health services in the north of England. “Of course we have seen an increase in demand, but to see these figures in black and white … it’s extremely shocking.”