Children As Young As Four Showing Signs Of Depression, Claims Charity

A growing number of primary-school children in Scotland are troubled and unhappy, it was claimed yesterday.

Youngsters are misbehaving, self-harming and even contemplating suicide because of the depths of their despair, according to a charity which provides emotional support for children in schools.

It is thought that one in ten youngsters under the age of 15 is suffering from a mental-health disorder, the most common of which is depression.

The Place2Be, a charity which has been working in ten schools in Edinburgh, estimates that on top of this, a further 10 per cent of youngsters would benefit from some kind of emotional support. It is now hoping to expand its service to Aberdeen, Glasgow and Dundee.

Last year in the ten Edinburgh schools, more than 3,000 visits were made to see Place2Be counsellors. In total, the charity works in 112 schools across the UK.

Among those who sought help in Edinburgh was nine-year-old Faye, who had suffered neglect at home, was taken into care and was being bullied at school. She told counsellors that she wanted to kill herself, but after a series of sessions, she became “more happy and confident”.

Other children were suffering the consequences of coming from homes rife with drug and alcohol abuse.

The youngest child seen began to show signs of “unhappiness” aged four.

Benita Refson, the chief executive of the Place2Be, said: “There are a growing number of children who are very troubled and unhappy in primary school.

“This has been shown by the number of children who have come to see us and who have been identified as needing help.”

Ms Refson said there were many triggers for depression.

“Children are influenced by what is happening around them,” he said. “If their parents are anxious, depressed and unhappy, then it influences them as well.

What we need to try to do is pick up these problems and give children a chance to speak about it.”

Jonathan Wood, a manager for the Edinburgh project, added: “The children we are seeing often come from quite chaotic backgrounds, sometimes exposed to drug and alcohol abuse. This can have a knock-on effect in terms of their behaviour and mental health.”

Mr Wood claimed in the worst cases they had seen self-harm and suicidal behaviour. He said they regularly had to refer children to social services because of the evidence of neglect uncovered.

It is claimed evaluation of the charity’s work suggests 70-75 per cent of children see some benefit from counselling.

In Scotland, the charity receives financial support from the Executive and businesses including HBoS, Scottish Widows, Macdonald Hotels and Lloyds TSB.

Isabella Goldie, head of the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland, said that depression among younger children was growing and catching it early was vital.

She added: “The average age of onset for self-harming behaviour is 12. But for that to be the average means there will be children of nine and ten or younger also self-harming.”

The mental-health charity SANE said projects like the Place2Be were offering an important service. Margaret Edwards, head of strategy at the charity, said: “It is important that emotional and behavioural difficulties are addressed as early as possible, to identify any under- lying mental-health problems and give children and families professional help.”

• WHEN Alfie was just seven, his mother was shocked when she walked into his bedroom to find him stabbing himself in the head with a fork.

She asked what he was doing and he broke down in tears, revealing that he had been sexually abused by a family friend since the age of four.

Alfie revealed that he felt hurt and frightened and was stabbing himself because that is how he felt about what was happening to him.

He had few friends at school and was rather shy and withdrawn, showing no interest in his work. Alfie was referred to a Place2Be counsellor at his school in Edinburgh for individual counselling sessions.

At first he was afraid to play with the toys, but gradually became interested in the farm animals.

He used these to enact scenes where the young animals were bullied and hurt by the bigger animals.

Alfie placed one of the small animals in a separate barn, where he was punished by another toy animal.

In this way, Alfie was able to tell the counsellor what had happened to him and how he had felt fear, confusion and despair.

After counselling, Alfie felt less alone and that he was not to blame for what had happened to him.

After a year, his family noticed a big difference in his behaviour. He became more outgoing and confident.

His mother said: “Alfie is a different boy. He is happier, chattier, has friends and plays out like a normal little boy.

“He is more settled at school and is coping better with school life.”