There has been a sharp rise in children and young people – some as young as six – attending A&E units in England in a mental health crisis, NHS doctors are warning.
The number of six to 17-year-olds turning up in significant distress for things like self-harm and eating disorders, or in emotional crisis, rose by 36% between 2019 and 2025, according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health analysis.
Some faced waits of more than 12 hours once there. The college said A&Es were not the best place for them, but a lack of support in the community meant they often had nowhere else to turn.
The government said it was looking to improve services and would be setting out plans soon.
The analysis – based on figures provided under the Freedom of Information Act by NHS England – found there were 75,491 attendances at A&E by children and young people for a mental health concern in 2025.
That is up from 55,525 in 2019 with some of the biggest rises seen in very young children aged six to nine. The increases far outstrip the overall jump in attendances, which has risen by just over 8% over the period.
Doctors said the cases included children and young people brought in by families, carers and police – some of those in emotional crisis become aggressive or have challenging behaviour.
In total, more than 6,200, around 8%, waited over 12 hours in A&E.
RCPCH officer for mental health Dr Sam Jones said there was a lack of wider mental health care and, in particular, crisis support available in many parts of the country that meant these vulnerable children and young people were not getting the help they needed.
"Behind every one of these figures is a child or young person in distress and a family who didn't know where else to turn.
"Emergency departments are a vital safety net, but they were never designed to be a place where children in mental health crisis wait for days at time.
"This is a national crisis that will only get worse without urgent intervention."
She said alongside greater investment in children's mental health services, staff from key agencies across health, social care and education needed better training in helping children who are struggling with their mental health.
Dr Mark Buchanan, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said children and young people facing a mental health crisis were ending up in A&E by "default".
"They deserve care within systems and settings that are designed to meet their needs."
