National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children through its helpline has handled 11,706 calls from children who had anxiety symptoms.
The number of children seeking help for anxiety has risen by 35%, data from the NSPCC’s Childline service has suggested. The helpline, which offers support and counseling for distressed children, said it answered 11,706 calls which mentioned anxiety in 2015-16. By comparison, 8,642 such calls had been answered in the previous year.
‘Children as young as eight contact childline to discuss their anxieties, on issues ranging to personal and family concerns to wider political issues such as the EU referendum.’
If you are a parent, NSPCC's advice to help support children with anxiety:- Listen carefully to a child's fears and worries
- Offer reassurance and comfort and avoid complicated and worrying explanations that could leave them more frightened and confused
- Help them find advice and support to understand distressing events and feelings
Anxiety appears to be getting worse, with provisional figures showing that from April to September the facility dealt with almost 6,500 contacts where anxiety was cited as the main issue - an average of more than 1,000 a month.
Recent released NHS data has suggested a shocking rise in recorded incidents of self-harm for young girls. The number of such incidents requiring hospital admission after administering a poison or other substance has risen by 42 percent in the decade since 2005-6.
Source-Medindia