Action for Children spoke to more than 3,000 secondary school age children and found 33% of young people were struggling with mental ill-health and would benefit from support.
According to the charity, some of the most common problems seen in young people were depression, problems sleeping, negative feelings, struggling to 'get going', problems focussing and feeling like everything is ‘an effort’.
The results were part of Action for Children's Blues Programme, which spoke to young people in schools, to see if they needed support with their mental health. The programme is the first of its kind in the UK and is a six-week course using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy methods to help young people better understand their negative feelings.
However, 70% of the students who received support as part of The Blues Programme, in their school, have shown an improvement in their mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Young people reported a decrease in depression and anxiety and revealed increased confidence and self-esteem, improved relationships and better engagement at school.
Over the past few years, the Blues Programme has seen an increase of 52% in children and young people who need mental health support.
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