In news that will surprise absolutely no one who has been paying attention, NHS doctors are raising the alarm over a sharp rise in children - some as young as six - showing up at A&E units in England in the throes of a mental health crisis.

The number of six to 17-year-olds arriving in significant distress, whether from self-harm, eating disorders, or just plain emotional meltdowns, has jumped by 36% between 2019 and 2025, according to an analysis by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). And because the NHS is nothing if not consistent, some of these kids faced waits of more than 12 hours before being seen.

The college notes, with the kind of understatement that only a medical body can muster, that A&Es are "not the best place" for these children. But with a lack of community support, they often have nowhere else to go. The government, in a move that will shock no one, says it's "looking to improve services" and will "set out plans soon."

Here are the numbers, because we like numbers: The analysis, based on Freedom of Information data from NHS England, found 75,491 A&E attendances by children and young people for mental health concerns in 2025. That's up from 55,525 in 2019, with some of the biggest increases among the six-to-nine-year-old set. For context, overall A&E attendances rose by just over 8% in the same period - so the mental health surge is outpacing the general chaos by a factor of four.

Doctors describe cases where kids are brought in by families, carers, and even police. Some children in emotional crisis get aggressive or display challenging behavior - because nothing says "I need help" quite like a tantrum in a fluorescent-lit emergency room.

More than 6,200 of these visits - around 8% - involved waits exceeding 12 hours. That's half a day of a child sitting in A&E, presumably staring at posters about handwashing and wondering if anyone is going to help them.

Dr. Sam Jones, RCPCH officer for mental health, puts it plainly: "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." She adds that emergency departments are a vital safety net but "were never designed to be a place where children in mental health crisis wait for days at a time." Her diagnosis: "This is a national crisis that will only get worse without urgent intervention."

She's calling for greater investment in children's mental health services and better training for staff across health, social care, and education.

Dr. Mark Buchanan, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, notes that these kids are ending up in A&E "by default," which is about as ringing an endorsement of the mental health system as you'll ever hear.

Gemma Byrne, from the charity Mind, adds: "A&E can be a frightening environment for anyone in mental health crisis, let alone a child. Making them spend more than 12 hours there is simply unacceptable." She points out that many mental health services only step in when young people are deemed "unwell enough" to qualify - a system that clearly isn't working. Her suggestion: expand the network of "young future hubs," which offer a one-stop-shop of support covering mental health, employment, sports, and volunteering.

The government is planning to publish a new mental health strategy later in the summer. In the meantime, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman insists improvements are already underway, with investment in mental health teams for schools and more than 150 new community hubs located in places like banks and libraries. "No child should have to reach crisis point before getting the support they need," he added, presumably with a straight face.

Claire Evans, of the children's mental health charity Anna Freud, calls the figures "deeply concerning" and urges the new strategy to place children at its heart. She wants to create "conditions for lifelong positive mental health" and accelerate investment in accessible, community-based support.

If you've been affected by these issues, the BBC would like to hear your experiences. Just don't expect a 12-hour wait for a response.