Abigail Ampofo, interim chief executive at YoungMinds, said: “These alarming figures highlight the sheer scale of the mental health emergency.
“While waiting lists for the treatment of physical health problems are going down, the time young people are spending trying to access specialist support for their mental health continues to rise.
“So many pressures are harming young people’s mental health, including academic demands, rising living costs and inequality.
“We need more investment in mental health services, but we also need to tackle these root causes of poor mental health.
“The announcement that a cross-government mental health strategy is to be developed is welcome but, with a record number of young people being referred for support, we can’t wait until that strategy is in place to turn things around. We need both a long-term plan and urgent action.”
It is estimated that around a fifth of eight to 25-year-olds have mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.