Support for our children’s mental health has never been more needed

The recent AXA Mind Health study found that in Europe children and teenagers’ mind health was more affected by the pandemic than any other age demographic.¹

Insight from the Mental Health Foundation suggests more children and young people have problems with their mental health today than 30 years ago.²

Further, the NHS digital referral data analysed for the BBC by the Royal College of Psychiatrists highlights a 77% rise in the number of children requiring specialist treatment for severe mental health conditions.

Support for our children’s mental health has never been more needed. The common conditions impacting our young include; depression, self-harm, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress and eating disorders. The most effective treatment for children and young people often involves talking through the problem in order to work out the best way to tackle it. A specialist such as a counsellor is trained to help them explore their feelings and behaviour.

AXA Health extends its network for diagnosis and treatment

AXA Health has extended its network of providers supporting Children and Young Persons Mental Health to include a remote service offered by Onebright Efficacy, one of the UK’s leading mental healthcare providers. The emotional health and wellbeing of children is as important as their physical health. From cognitive behavioural therapists and counsellors to clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, Onebright Efficacy brings a comprehensive range of clinicians available to treat children and young people remotely. This is great news for AXA Health customers with family members on their plan. Following a GP referral, where appropriate, each will gain fast access to available remote psychological assessment and talking therapies.*

These evidence-based therapies allow their issues to be safely discussed. Parents are encouraged to be a positive and proactive part of the treatment process, by being involved at the assessment, where the clinician will understand the current issues and explain the recommended treatment.  

Shamira Graham, Director of Clinical Solutions, Onebright Efficacy adds “Given the rise in children’s mental health problems, we are delighted to be able to offer this service to AXA Health members. We are proud to have developed an accessible service that reflects the latest research in psychological therapy and parental involvement.  The quality of the service is closely governed ensuring that treatment is safe, client centred and effective. We work hard to ensure that each child receives the very best quality of treatment delivering real results.”

The importance of accessible support is a view shared by Katrina Herren, Head of Clinical Operations at AXA Health following the successful pilot

“When your child is struggling with their health, we know our members want rapid access to experienced clinicians. National access to support for children’s mental health is very difficult. This remote service has offered quick access to assessment and therapy, and has been very much welcomed by parents, with clinical outcomes highly comparable to face to face therapy.”

AXA Health and Onebright Efficacy closely monitored both the therapy and service experience – each scoring a quality score above 9 out of 10 during the successful pilot period prior to its now roll out. One parent shared their experience “The quality of the therapy is high; it’s made a real difference to my daughter and we can finally see light at the end of the tunnel.”

Supporting your teams

Below are some common signs that a child maybe struggling with their mental health:

• Persistent feeling of low mood or unhappiness
• Feeling and expressing irritability
• Difficulty concentrating and/or struggling in school
• Loss of confidence, or intense worries or fears that get in the way of day-to-day life
• No longer enjoying activities that were once interested in
• Change in appetite – starting to eat too much or a lot less than usual
• Falling out with friends and sometimes starting to fight or hurt others’ feelings
• Attempts at self-harm or mentioning suicidal plans
• Unexpected changes in helpful behaviours
• Withdrawing from friends and family and spending more time alone

_{1 - AXA Mind Health Study - conducted between 27 September – 25 October 2021 in 11 countries among representative samples of the population aged 18-75 years old in each country (1,000 in each).}

_{2 - Mental Health Foundation, Mental health in children and young people, Mental Health Foundation, 12 August 2021.}

_{3 - BBC News Source: NHS Digital, April 2017 - October 2021.}