From Post-pandemic Funk to Exam Season Stress, U.K. Youth Struggle with Mental Health
Youth Referrals for Mental Health services are at all all-time monthly high across the U.K.
By Jeri Alvarez and Kalin Basford
LONDON — Open referrals in the United Kingdom have hit an all-time high, indicating that the youth mental health crisis that mushroomed during the pandemic is not fading away as things return to “normal.” But across the U.K., there are mixed opinions about whether this steep rise is referrals is a positive or a negative thing.
“Open referrals” is a term for children under 18 who are waiting for services or are actively being cared for by mental health services. A record number of 420,000 a month were reported this past spring.
“I didn’t think that was going to happen,” said Nicole Crouch, Regional Health & Wellbeing Manager of National Health Services England. “I think there is good in that as well. People are recognizing that they need help and they’re seeking help, so I don’t think it’s necessarily bad. I think just the whole topic of mental health is so much more widely recognized and people are understanding more about their mental health. I think that would be a more concerning thing if numbers did not go up at all.”
Covid-19 is believed to play a huge part in this increase, as more and more adolescents felt isolated at the peak of the pandemic. Distancing from loved ones, constantly being at home, and having no social interaction took a severe toll on the mental health of teenagers and young adults.
When asked if she believed Covid-19 was the sole reason for this jump in numbers, Crouch responded, “I wouldn’t say that it’s solely [Covid related]. Everyone is so individual, and Covid can almost be seen as a trauma itself. The threat it had on our own health, our own family’s health, our financial well-being, and how jobs were impacted, so I would say it’s a bit of a contribution but always on that kind of wider basis.”
Young people frequently navigate a multitude of experiences, such as the complications of social media. Teenagers base their self-worth on likes, views, and shares on a vast number of platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter for example. “It’s my personal belief that it’s got to be an aspect of social media and online presence. That kind of judgment and comparison against other people,” said Crouch.
Although social media is believed to be detrimental to teenagers’ mental health, many are deleting social media they deem as “enjoyable” to focus on the anxiety-inducing end-of-year exams. Both A-Levels and GCSEs are standardized tests that students are required to reach certain marks to move forward in their education.
Pressure to do well on standardized tests like A-Levels and GCSEs further exacerbates anxiety, and anxiety for the future. An essay subject student, Elaine Tejici, shared her and her peers’ experiences with exam stress, how it affects their mental health, and how they cope.
“I had to cram in six hours the day before my philosophy exam and I felt overwhelmed when I finished because I still felt like I hadn’t done enough,” said Tejici, who was preparing for an upcoming exam.
“Even though people study enough, we’re stressed anyway because these one to three hour exams are the final thing. If you get one question that throws you off, then your whole grade is damaged. Then you can’t fix that unless you retake it months later, which, of course, jeopardizes university offers,” explained Tejici.
When asked about the stress put on kids during A-levels and GCSEs, Crouch had a different perspective. She believed that they do add an extra measure of stress and challenges, but also that there are many other options you can explore. Crouch explained that it would be immensely beneficial for students to have an available resource from their teachers to assist in decreasing stress and anxiety.
“With the responsibility a teacher has, it would certainly benefit them to increase their knowledge in a way so that when someone comes to them, they can face that conversation head-on instead of shying away from it,” said Crouch. “Oftentimes it’s not about having the perfect response, it’s just about being there. So I think anyone and everyone can benefit, but teachers should take that responsibility seriously.”
Teachers have always been a source of some emotional support for adolescents, but now they are finding themselves in a position of answering more serious mental health concerns. This situation has caused a larger demand for more mental health services, and Crouch believes action is being taken for it.
“There’s a lot more upscaling of all these services, not to say it’s necessarily met the demand yet, but it’s certainly better than what it has been in the past,” said Crouch.
Crouch offered a few suggestions about what can make a difference. “I think that individual responsibility as well as exploring what we can do and help ourselves in the meantime, while we wait for those [upscaling of services],” Crouch said. “Educating ourselves, seeing the landscape, and making decisions for ourselves.”
