Supporting pupil mental health and wellbeing: Understanding the complexity
Written by: Lisa-Maria Muller
6 min read
Lisa-Maria Müller, Chartered College of Teaching, UK
The latest Children’s Commissioner’s report on children’s mental health indicates that one in five children are unhappy with their mental health, and for girls this rate is even higher (Children’s Commissioner, 2023). NHS data indicates that 18 per cent of children aged 7-16 and 26 per cent of those aged 17-19 have a mental health disorder, an increase from the previous year (NHS, 2022). The increasing number of children and young people who may be struggling with their mental health does not go unnoticed by teachers and other education professionals. Ninety-five per cent of education professionals reported in a recent poll that they had witnessed increasing levels of anxiety among their students (Place2Be, 2022).
Feeling anxious versus anxiety disorders
In order to understand how best to support children and young people who feel anxious, it is important to differentiate between feelings of anxiety and anxiety disorders.
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