Shockingly, last year, Childline dealt with a huge volume of calls from children experiencing suicidal thoughts, some as young as ten.
According to their annual report, It Turned Out Someone Did Care, the 24 hour helpline received 19,481 calls from children and teens contemplating suicide.
The charity revealed that they were receiving about 53 calls a day about suicide in 2015 - that's one call every 30 minutes.
Sadly, the counsellors had to refer many of these cases to the emergency services.
Calls to Childline from children with suicidal thoughts double in 5 years. Shows we should be increasing funding to charities not cutting it
— Parveen Agnihotri (@Parveen_Comms) September 8, 2016
Highlighting that girls are SIX TIMES more likely to call the charity, the report also found that those aged between 12 and 15 are most at risk.
More children contact Childline about suicidal thoughts than ever before https://t.co/za5PrvMmgc #ChildlineCares pic.twitter.com/bOZquHBoQI
— NSPCC (@NSPCC) September 8, 2016
Demanding proper Government investment, NSPCC chief Peter Wanless said: “As a society, we cannot be content that a generation of children feel so worthless, alone and cut off from support, it is up to all of us to help them feel that life is worth living.”
"Children shouldering mental health problems often feel left in the shadows. Their pain is not obviously visible and their injuries cannot be mended with bandages.
"We must listen to them, find out what is troubling them, and help them overcome their problems."
Children as young as 10 contacted Childline about suicidal thoughts https://t.co/za5PrvMmgc #ChildlineCares pic.twitter.com/O96IF6Xkvf
— NSPCC (@NSPCC) September 8, 2016
Commenting on the shocking findings, according to the BBC, a Department of Health spokesman said that plans are in place to invest £1.4bn in mental health services for children.
"We have made huge strides in the way we think about and treat mental illness - moving from a society that locks people away in asylums to one giving mental health equal priority in law - but we must do more,” they said.
"It is positive that more people feel able to discuss their mental health, but this must be matched by the right support, which is why we are investing a record £1.4bn to help young people in every area of the country before they reach crisis point."
If you know of a child who is struggling with mental health issues or are looking for advice, you can call Childline on 0800 1111 or visit their website: https://www.childline.org.uk/
