The latest NHS figures for England show the number of young people with a “probable mental disorder” has gone up from one in nine before the pandemic to one in six. So in this four part series of Bringing Up Britain, Anjula Mutanda sets out to explore some of the possible causes of anxiety, and how parents can help their children through them.

In this first episode Anjula meets Claire, a mother of three who became involved in climate activism during the pandemic. She wants to raise responsible children but knows first hand the anxiety climate awareness can cause, and doesn't want to put the weight of the world on their very young shoulders. So how can parents engage with their children about climate issues in an age appropriate way? To find out Anjula hears from:

Dr Thomas Doherty, a psychologist with a specialism in nature and mental health
Caroline Hickman, a psychotherapist and researcher into eco-anxiety at the University of Bath
Year Six pupils from Brookfield School in London
Dr Atle Dyregrov, a clinical psychologist and Director of the Centre for Crisis Psychology in Bergen, Norway
David Sobel, Professor Emeritus in the Education Department at Antioch University, New England
James Diffey, Assistant Researcher in the Climate Cares team, part of the Institute for Global Health Innovation, at Imperial College London

Presenter: Anjula Mutanda
Producer: Ellie Bury Show less