Children as young as five have turned up at A&E with mental health concerns, according to new figures released by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.
The data, which covers the past five years across various regional Health and Social Care Trusts in Northern Ireland, sheds light on the scale of the mental health crisis facing young people with hundreds of under-18s presenting to Emergency Departments with mental health-related issues.
The figures, released by the Minister in response to a question from DUP MLA Deborah Erskine, also show just how young some of those seeking help are with some instances recorded of children aged just five, six and seven needing help.
The SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan, who previously chaired the all-party group of MLAs on mental health at Stormont, described the figures as “deeply worrying”.
“It is obviously worrying that hundreds of children and young people are presenting to Emergency Departments with mental health-related concerns. While these figures don’t appear to show a significant increase, every young person reaching crisis point is one too many.”
The data, provided to the Minister by each individual health trust, differs significantly in both the way it’s presented by each trust and in the number of children requiring help.
The Northern Health and Social Care Trust recorded the highest number of attendances, with 475 young people presenting with mental health concerns in 2025 alone.
The Western Health and Social Care Trust reported 235 attendances in 2021, falling to 136 in 2025 – a significant decrease over the period.
The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust was unable to provide any data, advising that “reasons for attendance are not consistently recorded or clinically coded within Emergency Departments”.
Mr Durkan, commenting on the figures, said: “These statistics only capture those who attend Emergency Departments and don’t tell us what support, if any, these children and their families received afterwards. They underline the importance of a joined-up approach to mental health, with better early intervention, greater support in our schools and a stronger focus on building resilience and wellbeing before problems reach crisis point.”
The data shows that while the majority of attendances involve older teenagers, younger children are also presenting.
In the Northern Trust, a five-year-old attended in both 2021 and 2022. Across all trusts, children under 10 have been recorded as attending emergency departments with mental health concerns.
The highest numbers of attendances across all trusts were among 16 and 17-year-olds. In the Northern Trust, 17-year-olds accounted for 86 attendances in 2025. Across the Western Trust, 17-year-olds made up 214 attendances over the five-year period – the highest of any age group.