This report presents findings from the third (wave 3) in a series of follow up reports to the 2017 Mental Health of Children and Young People (MHCYP) survey, conducted in 2022. The sample includes 2,866 of the children and young people who took part in the MHCYP 2017 survey. The mental health of children and young people aged 7 to 24 years living in England in 2022 is examined, as well as their household circumstances, and their experiences of education, employment and services and of life in their families and communities. Comparisons are made with 2017, 2020 (wave 1) and 2021 (wave 2), where possible, to monitor changes over time.

This is the second (wave 2) in a series of follow up reports to the Mental Health and Young People Survey (MHCYP) 2017, exploring the mental health of children and young people in February/March 2021, during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and changes since 2017. Experiences of family life, education, and services during the COVID-19 pandemic are also examined. The sample for the Mental Health Survey for Children and Young People, 2021 (MHCYP 2021), wave 2 follow up was based on 3,667 children and young people who took part in the MHCYP 2017 survey, with both surveys also drawing on information collected from parents. Cross-sectional analyses are presented, addressing three primary aims: Aim 1: Comparing mental health between 2017 and 2021 – the likelihood of a mental disorder has been assessed against completion of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in both years in Topic 1 by various demographics. Aim 2: Describing life during the COVID-19 pandemic - Topic 2 examines the circumstances and experiences of children and young people in February/March 2021 and the preceding months, covering: COVID-19 infection and symptoms. Feelings about social media use. Family connectedness. Family functioning. Education, including missed days of schooling, access to resources, and support for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Changes in circumstances. How lockdown and restrictions have affected children and young people’s lives. Seeking help for mental health concerns. Aim 3: Present more detailed data on the mental health, circumstances and experiences of children and young people by ethnic group during the coronavirus pandemic (where sample sizes allow). The data is broken down by gender and age bands of 6 to 10 year olds and 11 to 16 year olds for all categories, and 17 to 22 years old for certain categories where a time series is available, as well as by whether a child is unlikely to have a mental health disorder, possibly has a mental health disorder and probably has a mental health disorder. This study was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care, commissioned by NHS Digital, and carried out by the Office for National Statistics, the National Centre for Social Research, University of Cambridge and University of Exeter.

Experimental statistics from the Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) - Children & Young People

According to a study conducted in England in 2023, over ** percent of young people aged between 17 and 19 years had a likelihood of probable mental disorder. Furthermore, over a fifth of children aged from 11 to 16 years were also assessed to have a probable disorder. Results of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were used to judge the mental health status of children and young people.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys (MHCYP) series provides data about the mental health of young people living in Great Britain.

The MHCYP was first carried out in 1999, capturing information on 5 to 15-year-olds. It was conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Department of Health (now known as the Department of Health and Social Care, or DHSC), The Scottish Health Executive and the National Assembly for Wales. The following survey in the series was conducted in 2002 and focused on children looked after by their local authority. The third survey was conducted in 2004 and collected information from 5 to 16-year-olds. Follow-ups to this survey were conducted after 6 months and again after 3 years.

NHS Digital commissioned the 2017 survey on behalf of the DHSC. It collected information on 2 to 19-year-olds living in England. The survey was carried out by a consortium led by NatCen Social Research, which included the ONS and Youth In Mind.

The MHCYP 2020 survey was a Wave 1 follow-up to the 2017 survey and was conducted under the COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020, as directed by the then Secretary of State for Health. The Wave 2 follow-up was conducted in 2021, and Wave 3 in 2022.

Further information can be found on the NHS Digital Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys webpage.

A similar series covering adults, the Adult Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity, is also commissioned by NHS Digital.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2022 (MHCYP) study is the third in a series of follow up surveys to the MHCYP 2017, exploring the mental health of children and young people in England. The 2022 follow up survey was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), the Office for National Statistics (ONS), University of Cambridge and University of Exeter, was funded by a grant from the UK Research and Innovation (CVR&I 472) and the Department of Health and Social Care, and commissioned by NHS England (formerly NHS Digital, who merged with NHS England on 1st February 2023).

The three main aims of MHCYP 2022 were:

• To compare the likelihood of probable mental disorder in 6 to 16 year olds and 17 to 19 year olds in 2017 with that of 6 to 16 year olds and 17 to 19 year olds in 2020 and 2021, overall and by subgroup (age, sex and ethnic group). Describe other aspects of children and young people’s health in 2021 including on, Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), long-term physical health conditions and possible eating problems (and compare with any comparable data available).
• To describe the wider circumstances and experiences of children and young people during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic focusing on February and March 2021 and the preceding months, including comparisons with 2017 and 2020 where data were available.
• To present more detailed data on the mental health, circumstances and experiences of children and young people by ethnic group during the coronavirus pandemic.

ISBN Reference: 1-4039-8637-1 Summary This report first describes the prevalence of mental disorders among 5- to 16-year olds in 2004 and notes any changes since the previous survey in 1999. It then provides profiles of children in each of the main disorder categories (emotional, conduct, hyperkinetic and autistic spectrum disorders) and , where the sample size permits, profiles subgroups within these categories. The final chapters examine the characteristics of children with multiple disorders and present a selection of analyses for Scotland. Causal relationships should not be assumed for any of the results presented in this report.

Contains tabulated outputs on each topic from the Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023: wave 4 follow up to the 2017 survey.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys (MHCYP) series provides data about the mental health of young people living in Great Britain.

The MHCYP was first carried out in 1999, capturing information on 5 to 15-year-olds. It was conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Department of Health (now known as the Department of Health and Social Care, or DHSC), The Scottish Health Executive and the National Assembly for Wales. The following survey in the series was conducted in 2002 and focused on children looked after by their local authority. The third survey was conducted in 2004 and collected information from 5 to 16-year-olds. Follow-ups to this survey were conducted after 6 months and again after 3 years.

NHS Digital commissioned the 2017 survey on behalf of the DHSC. It collected information on 2 to 19-year-olds living in England. The survey was carried out by a consortium led by NatCen Social Research, which included the ONS and Youth In Mind.

The MHCYP 2020 survey was a Wave 1 follow-up to the 2017 survey and was conducted under the COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020, as directed by the then Secretary of State for Health. The Wave 2 follow-up was conducted in 2021, and Wave 3 in 2022.

Further information can be found on the NHS Digital Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys webpage.

A similar series covering adults, the Adult Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity, is also commissioned by NHS Digital.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017: Special Licence Access survey (MHCYP) is the third in a series of national surveys of the mental health of children and young people. Previous surveys were carried out in 1999 and 2004. The 2017 survey was funded by the Department of Health and commissioned by NHS Digital and carried out by NatCen Social Research, the Office for National Statistics and Youth in Mind. The first in a series of follow-up surveys to MHCYP 2017 was conducted in 2020 - see SN 9128.

The MHCYP 2017 collected information about mental health and well-being from a stratified probability sample of children and young people living in England and registered with a GP. Information was collected on 9,117 children aged 2 to 19 between January and October 2017. The survey combines reports from children, their parents and teachers (depending on the age of the selected child). This survey for the first time provides findings on the prevalence of the mental disorder in 2 to 4-year-olds and spans the transition into adulthood by covering 17 to 19-year-olds.

The main aims of the survey were:

• to collect robust data on a range of topics relating to the mental health of children and young people;
• to estimate what proportion of children and young people in England are living with a mental disorder (and the types of mental disorders experienced);
• produce trends in disorders through comparisons with previous surveys in the series
• enable the circumstances of children and young people with different mental disorders to be compared with those of children and young people without;
• improve understanding of the state of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing;
• inform the design of mental health services for children and young people.

Further information about the study can be found on the NHS digital webpage Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017 [PAS].

Latest edition information

For the second edition (August 2021), a new version of the data file was deposited, with corrections included for two issues uncovered during subsequent analysis. More detail on these corrections can be found in the User Guide, which has also been updated accordingly.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys (MHCYP) series provides data about the mental health of young people living in Great Britain.

The MHCYP was first carried out in 1999, capturing information on 5 to 15-year-olds. It was conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Department of Health (now known as the Department of Health and Social Care, or DHSC), The Scottish Health Executive and the National Assembly for Wales. The following survey in the series was conducted in 2002 and focused on children looked after by their local authority. The third survey was conducted in 2004 and collected information from 5 to 16-year-olds. Follow-ups to this survey were conducted after 6 months and again after 3 years.

NHS Digital commissioned the 2017 survey on behalf of the DHSC. It collected information on 2 to 19-year-olds living in England. The survey was carried out by a consortium led by NatCen Social Research, which included the ONS and Youth In Mind.

The MHCYP 2020 survey was a Wave 1 follow-up to the 2017 survey and was conducted under the COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020, as directed by the then Secretary of State for Health. The Wave 2 follow-up was conducted in 2021, and Wave 3 in 2022.

Further information can be found on the NHS Digital Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys webpage.

A similar series covering adults, the Adult Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity, is also commissioned by NHS Digital.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2020: Special Licence Access (MHCYP) is the first in a series of follow-up surveys to the MHCYP 2017 survey (which in itself was the third survey of its kind - see SN 8467 - with previous MHCYPs carried out in 1999, 2004). The 2020 MHCYP was funded by the Department of Health and Social Care and commissioned by NHS England. The survey was carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen Social Research), the Office for National Statistics, the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter.

The MHCYP surveys provide England's Official Statistics on trends in child mental health. The MHCYP 2017 was conducted face-to-face and involved data collection from a random sample of children and young people (aged 2 to 19 years). MHCYP 2017 participants (now aged 5 to 22 years) who agreed to be re-contacted for future research were invited to take part in a follow-up online survey in July 2020. Therefore, the achieved MHCYP 2020 sample for this (Wave 1) follow-up was based on 3,570 children and young people who took part in MHCYP 2017, with both surveys also drawing on information collected from parents.

The two main aims of MHCYP 2020 were:

• to compare mental health between 2017 and 2020 - the likelihood of a mental disorder was assessed against completion of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in both years; and
• to describe life during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  

Latest edition information

For the second edition (September 2024) a new version of the data file was deposited, with derived variables included that had not been populated in the first edition.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys (MHCYP) series provides data about the mental health of young people living in Great Britain.

The MHCYP was first carried out in 1999, capturing information on 5 to 15-year-olds. It was conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on behalf of the Department of Health (now known as the Department of Health and Social Care, or DHSC), The Scottish Health Executive and the National Assembly for Wales. The following survey in the series was conducted in 2002 and focused on children looked after by their local authority. The third survey was conducted in 2004 and collected information from 5 to 16-year-olds. Follow-ups to this survey were conducted after 6 months and again after 3 years.

NHS Digital commissioned the 2017 survey on behalf of the DHSC. It collected information on 2 to 19-year-olds living in England. The survey was carried out by a consortium led by NatCen Social Research, which included the ONS and Youth In Mind.

The MHCYP 2020 survey was a Wave 1 follow-up to the 2017 survey and was conducted under the COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020, as directed by the then Secretary of State for Health. The Wave 2 follow-up was conducted in 2021, and Wave 3 in 2022.

Further information can be found on the NHS Digital Mental Health of Children and Young People Surveys webpage.

A similar series covering adults, the Adult Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity, is also commissioned by NHS Digital.

The primary purpose of the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in Great Britain, 1999 survey was to produce prevalence rates of three main categories of mental disorder:
conduct disorder;
hyperactivity;
emotional disorders (and their comorbidity);
based on ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision) and DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fourth revision) criteria. Where there were sufficient numbers, the survey also aimed to provide prevalence rates of type of problem (e.g., separation anxiety, social phobia etc.) and to investigate the comorbidity or co-occurrence of disorders.

This publication provides the position for children and young people’s access to mental health services in England for 2018-19 based on the results of the CYP data validation exercise, conducted from May to July 2019. The indicator under consideration for this validation exercise is E.H.9: Improve Access rate to CYPMH, Part 2A. This is the number of children and young people, regardless of when their referral started, receiving at least two contacts (including indirect contacts), with the second contact falling in 2018-19, and where their first contact occurs before their 18th birthday. Full details of this indicator can be found at https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/joint-technical-definitions-performance-activity.pdf The purpose of this report is to provide a more accurate national 2018-19 end of year position for children and young people’s access to mental health services. A data validation exercise has been jointly developed and commissioned by NHS Digital and NHS England and NHS Improvement, using the Strategic Data Collection Service Classic (SDCS Classic). All NHS commissioned children and young people’s mental health services, including voluntary/independent sector providers funded by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), have been required to confirm whether the value for this indicator derived from the Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS) for 2018-19 was accurate, or submit an alternative locally held figure if the MHSDS reported position was incomplete. All SDCS Classic submissions have been sent to CCGs to be validated. The accuracy of the MHSDS is dependent on all providers of NHS commissioned services ensuring they record and submit every patient contact. Reviews of MHSDS data indicated issues with the flow of accurate data from some providers, leading to under-reporting of their progress. More information on the quality and completeness of the estimates presented in this report can be found in the report file, with detailed information available in the appendices. These statistics supersede any MHSDS derived statistics for this indicator for 2018-19. MHSDS derived values have been released for Quarters 1 to 3 in this publication series. Statistics for Quarter 4 2018-19 accompany this report in a CSV file. These have been included for operational purposes in order for users to monitor the quality and completeness of these statistics in the MHSDS. They are to be used to understand the recording of this in MHSDS only. A restatement of MHSDS derived values, by month, for 2018-19 using a new methodology, to be used in 2019-20, has also been included as an Excel document for operational purposes. They are to be used to understand the change in methodology. Caution is needed when comparing 2018-19 data to the results of the 2017-18 exercise due to improved coverage; in 2018-19, 288 providers included data in the validation exercise (in comparison to 225 in 2017-18), 190 CCGs approved their submissions in 2018-19 (175 approved their submissions in 2017-18). These statistics are classified as experimental and subject to change. The classification of experimental statistics is in keeping with the UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice. Experimental statistics are new official statistics that are undergoing evaluation. They are published for a number of reasons; for example, in order to involve users and stakeholders in their development and as a means to build-in quality at an early stage. It is believed that these statistics have immediate value to users giving the most accurate position of children and young people’s access to mental health services for 2018-19; however users need to be aware of the statistics’ limitations and related cautions around their use, which are set out within this report, to make informed and qualified use of them. These statistics are experimental because they represent incomplete coverage and the methodology used in their definition and production have not been assured, as such they may not meet the overall quality standards necessary to be designated National Statistics. Please send any feedback on these statistics to enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk with ‘CYP validation exercise statistics’ in the subject. The Code of Practice for Statistics can be accessed via: https://gss.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Guidance-on-Experimental-Statistics_2.0-7.pdf

The Surveys of the Mental Health of Children and Young People (MHCYP) are a series of national surveys of the mental health of children and young people. Each survey involves interviewing a large stratified probability sample of children and young people, and their parents and teachers. The primary aim of the surveys is to collect robust data on a range of topics relating to the mental health of children and young people to improve understanding of the state of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing and inform the design of mental health services.

The Mental Health Services Data Set is a patient level, output based, secondary uses data set which aims to deliver robust, comprehensive, nationally consistent and comparable person-based information for children, young people and adults who are in contact with mental health services located in England or located outside England but treating patients commissioned by an English CCG or NHS England specialised commissioner. As a secondary uses data set it re-uses clinical and operational data for purposes other than direct patient care, for example: commissioning, service improvement and service design. It defines the data items, definitions and associated value sets extracted or derived from local Electronic Patient Record systems.

In Scope: All activity relating to people who receive specialist secondary mental health care services and have, or are thought to have, a mental illness; or who receive specialist secondary learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorder services and have, or are thought to have, a learning disability or autism spectrum disorder is within scope of the MHSDS. The scope of the data set requires record level data submission for each person attending a service located in England: • if the person is wholly funded by the NHS data submission for that person is mandatory • if the person is partially funded by the NHS data submission for that person is mandatory • if the person is wholly funded by any means that is not NHS data submission is optional

For each person attending a service located outside England, but commissioned by an English CCG or NHS England specialised commissioner: • data submission is optional.

Included Organisation Types: Service providers and organisations that provide specialist secondary mental health and/or learning disabilities and/or autism spectrum disorder services including: • NHS Mental Health Trusts • NHS Learning Disabilities Trusts • NHS Acute Trusts • NHS Care Trusts • Independent sector healthcare providers offering a service model that includes NHS funded patients • Any qualified provider offering specialist secondary mental health, learning disabilities or autism spectrum disorder services • Community services offering secondary care to children

Out of Scope: The following areas are currently out of scope and should not be included: • Any patient receiving treatment through an in-scope service but is not thought to have a mental illness, learning disability or autism spectrum disorder e.g. o Smoking cessation services o Addictions and substance misuse services o Some alternative therapy services o Some counselling services. • Mental health, learning disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder services provided only at a primary care level (such as within general practices or adult IAPT).

Additional information inc. technical specifications and user guidance: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-sets/mental-health-services-data-set