3Īs more and more people are forced to stay at home in self‐isolation to prevent the further flow of the pathogen at the societal level, governments must take the necessary measures to provide mental health support as prescribed by the experts.

2 However, the restrictive measures undoubtedly have affected the social and mental health of individuals from across the board. Isolation, social distancing, and closure of educational institutes, workplaces, and entertainment venues consigned people to stay in their homes to help break the chain of transmission. 1 Rapid human‐to‐human transmission of the SARS‐CoV‐2 resulted in the enforcement of regional lockdowns to stem the further spread of the disease. The behavior of an individual as a unit of society or a community has marked effects on the dynamics of a pandemic that involves the level of severity, degree of flow, and aftereffects. Cost, lack of clinical evidence, and limited knowledge of digital interventions are the three major reasons cited by NHS CCGs as the key barriers for integrating new digital therapeutics.A pandemic is not just a medical phenomenon it affects individuals and society and causes disruption, anxiety, stress, stigma, and xenophobia. Widespread adoption is not guaranteed even if a digital therapeutic has been approved by the Medicines Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA), is CE marked, has demonstrated high levels of safety, efficacy, and has good economic dataĤ out of 10 CAMHS decision makers say they have not adopted any new digital mental health therapies to support children’s mental health since the onset of COVID-19. Significant barriers remain around integrating digital therapeutics Two thirds (69%) of parents said that neither they nor their children had been signposted to any other form of support during the time they were waiting for support from CAMHS (Young Minds: A new era for young people’s mental health 2020) 5. Digital therapeutics can play a vital role opening up access and scaling up early intervention support.Ĥ0% of CAMHS decision makers believe digital interventions could play the biggest role in early intervention support, followed by 30% for improving access, 10% to reduce waiting list. (Mental health: Early intervention and prevention in children and young people, British Journal of Nursing, Membride et al, 2016)Ĩ5% of parents identified a deterioration in their child’s mental health while waiting for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to support them (Young Minds: A new era for young people’s mental health 2020) 4. Untreated mental illness is associated with serious consequences for children, families and communities.ġ0% of young people have mental health problems so significant that they impact not only on their day-to-day life but, if left untreated, they will continue into adulthood. (Stem4: The Failure of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services 2019) 3. In 2019, a third (29%) of GPs said that over 76% of all CYP referrals were rejected by CAMHS. Many Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services were already struggling before COVID-19.Īround 75 per cent of young people experiencing a mental health problem are unable to access any treatment at all.

(Centre for Mental Health, NHS Digital, 2020 Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017 ONS) 2. To put this in context 1.5 million CYP are estimated to have at least one diagnosed mental health condition before COVID-19. Up to 1.5 million young people under 18 will need either new or additional mental health support due to the coronavirus pandemic. An avalanche is coming: surging demand for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) anticipated due to COVID-19. We’ve created an infographic the highlight why the UK Government needs to prioritise Children and Young People’s mental health as the demand for services is expected to increase: 1. In England, the Centre for Mental Health has predicted that up to 10M people – almost a fifth of the population – will need mental health support as a direct consequence of Covid-19, with 1.5M of those expected to be children and young people under 18.

Covid 19 mental health infographic