Coronavirus: Impact on young people with mental health needs

The uncertainty, the anxiety, the fear of becoming ill or seeing a loved one become ill, the loss of our normal routines, the difficulties of social connection, and in many cases the disruption to education could have a profound impact on the nation’s mental health. [...] That is why we carried out a survey with young people with lived experience of mental health problems to find out how the pandemic and the response are affecting them, what their concerns are, what support they are still able to access, and what can be done to support them over the coming months. [...] As the impact of the pandemic and the restrictions on their lives continues to sink in, more young people are going to struggle to cope. [...] I am now washing my hands every five minutes or using hand sanitizer.” “I work in a supermarket so I’m kind of on the front line, I worry about catching it and passing it on to vulnerable family members.” School and university closures The closure of schools and universities to most students creates uncertainty both in the short term and in relation to educational and employment outcomes in the fu. [...] They must include measures to tackle to young people’s mental health needs at this time as an integral part of their response to the crisis: • Ensure that the NHS, schools, charities and other providers have the funding and resources they need to deliver services, including digital, virtual, text-based and telephone therapies, to children, young people, parents and carers • Enable a coordinated ef.