News Release, 28 September 2005
The Mental Health Foundation supports the new NICE guidelines on the treatment and care of children and adolescents with depression, but is doubtful that the guidelines will make a difference without more trained therapists.
On the day the guidelines were released, Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation said:
“While we are pleased that the guidelines will recommend psychological therapies as an alternative to anti-depressants as a first-line treatment, in reality the waiting lists for such therapies can be very long and huge investment is needed to provide effective psychotherapy and counselling services to children and adolescents. Until further progress is made, the situation is unlikely to change and we will continue to fail our children and young people who experience depression in the UK.
“Among teenagers, rates of depression and anxiety have increased by 70% in the past 25 years 1. There is a clear need to improve child and adolescent mental health services. The Government should be looking to place greater emphasis on emotional well-being in families and schools as well as individuals.”
1. Lifetime Impacts
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