There has been a sharp rise in young people facing anxiety in the last year. Our figures reveal:
- a rise of 35% Childline counselling sessions about anxiety in the last year
- almost 6,500 Childline counselling sessions in the last 6 months
- anxiety a feature with children as young as 8, with girls 7 times more likely to contact than boys.
Causes ranged from personal and family issues to concerns about world affairs such as the EU Referendum, the US Election and troubles in the Middle East.
Research indicates the reasons for the sharp rise are down to a combination of personal and political issues, with some young people talking to counsellors about problems in their day-to-day life while others cite disturbing events seen in the media and social media as being the source of their worries.