MANY young people feel unable to manage the pressures of modern life, latest figures show.
A sharp rise in the number of children from Wales seeking help for anxiety has been recorded by Childline.
In 2017/18 the UK-wide counselling service delivered more than 21,000 sessions to young people trying to deal with feelings of anxiety, which almost doubled since 2015/16.
Children and teenagers cited a range of reasons why they may be feeling anxious including bullying and cyber-bullying, eating problems, relationship problems and issues at school with homework and exams.
Some also experienced anxiety alongside other mental health issues such as depression and obsessive compulsive disorder, while others reported having suffered abuse, neglect or bereavement.
Des Mannion, the head of NSPCC Cymru/Wales, added: “Anxiety can be crippling and it is deeply worrying that the number of counselling sessions we are delivering for this issue is rising so quickly.
"Increasingly Childline is filling the gap left by our public mental health services, providing young people with a place they can go for round-the-clock help and advice.”
Any young person in need of help or advice can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit childline.org.uk
Adults can contact the NSPCC Helpline 0808 800 5000 or on nspcc.org.uk
Both are free, confidential, and open 24/7.
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