The government’s Chief Medical Officer and the NHS Medical Director are to write to UK   clinicians to remind them of the NICE guidelines which are available to help deal with a range of mental health problems which are affecting children and teenagers.

This follows the recent announcement that the UK government is investing £32 million in psychological therapies, including talking therapies, for children and young people with mental health problems.

One in ten children aged 5-16 years has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem. At any one time, more than a million children will have a diagnosable mental health disorder and mental illness in childhood and adolescence costs between £11,000 and £59,000 per child every year.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: “This investment in children’s mental health is vital. Talking therapies are proven to work, and so we are expanding services to treat children and young people with the tailored care that they need.”

“Mental health must have the same priority as physical health. Giving children the treatment they need as soon as they need it will help ensure that millions of children suffering from a mental health problem will have a fairer opportunity to succeed in life.”

Chief Executive of Young Minds, Sara Brennan, welcomed the announcement: “Children and young people tell us they want increased access to talking therapies, to be centrally involved in decisions about their care and for clinicians to be trained to make these possible. The Children and Young People’s IAPT programme is unique in achieving all the above in one initiative.”

The first phase of the training is expected to focus on cognitive behavioural therapy and parenting therapy.

Earlier this year the Government published its mental health strategy – No Health Without Mental Health – which takes a life course approach, with a focus on early and effective intervention, alongside extending psychological therapies to children and young people.