A WHOLE generation is being lost to poor mental health, Labour warned today after damning statistics revealed that one in five children with psychological problems are forced to wait for over half a year for help.

The new Mental Health of Children and Young People in England survey shows that 20.7 per cent of all children with a mental health disorder wait for at least six months for first contact with a mental health specialist.

A similar number (21.6 per cent) wait the same amount of time for a physical specialist, while 21.9 per cent wait that time to meet educational support workers.

The report revealed that 31.2 per cent of girls aged 11 to 16, and 52.7 per cent of girls aged 17 to 19, have harmed themselves or attempted to commit suicide, and that 11.2 per cent of under 19s suffer or have suffered serious mental health problems.

This is an increase in nearly 2 per cent over the past decade.

The statistics also showed a spiked increase in youngsters developing anxiety and depression.

In the past five years, mental health services have been significantly cut back by the government.

Earlier this year, half of all mental health trusts reported that they have 62 per cent less resources than they did in 2012.

In light of this, Labour has urged the government to adopt ambitious measures to target mental and physical illness in all youngsters. 

Labour shadow mental health minister Barbara Keeley said: “These deeply alarming figures warn that a whole generation of children could be lost to mental ill health because they simply can’t get the timely specialist treatment they need as a result of the government’s underfunding of services.

“There is something profoundly wrong when so many children with a mental health condition are not getting specialist support at a time when they are seriously harming themselves or attempting suicide.

“If the Prime Minister is serious about tackling the burning injustice of mental ill health, then services need greater investment and their budgets ring-fenced, as Labour pledged to do at the last election, so that every child has timely access to the mental health support they need to get well.”