Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased,

Pluck from the memory a rooted sorrow, 

Raze out the written troubles of the brain

Macbeth V.iii

The pandemic has taken its toll. At the end of nearly two surreal years of lockdown we all feel physically, emotionally, and mentally drained. This is particularly true for young people, scarred by isolation and struggling with the challenges of school, exams and the pressures of growing up compressed by the claustrophobic setting of being grounded in their own homes. 

The papers are full of stories about the “unprecedented crisis” surrounding young people’s mental health. Earlier this month, The Times reported that NHS data showed that 2021 had the highest number of referrals to Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (“CAMHS”) for two years. Demand increased by 52 per cent from 2020 to 2021, with almost 400,000 young people being referred for treatment. YoungMinds, a charity offering online advice and a helpline for parents, recorded a 48 per cent increase in demand in its services between 2019 and 2021.

Demand for mental health services is, quite simply, outstripping supply. Strange then to think that something as crucial as child psychiatry is a comparatively new discipline in the world of medical science. Indeed, it was only in 1973 that Michael Rutter was awarded the country’s first professorship in child psychiatry. Professor Rutter, who has been described as the “father of child psychology”, was training to follow in his father’s footsteps as a GP when he became increasingly interested in the relationship between the brain, mind and neurosurgery, and decided to pursue post-graduate training in neurology and paediatrics instead. He specialised in child psychology and dedicated his career to putting “child psychiatry on a solid research basis”.

Rutter’s research significantly advanced the understanding of autism and contributed to the nature/nurture debate. He explored the impact of social deprivation on behaviour in young people and the influence of the bonds between mother and child on childhood development. A particular feature of his research was the value he placed on listening to the children he was working with, something previously considered unnecessary by his predecessors.

He spent the majority of his career at the Maudsley Hospital in south London where the Michael Rutter Centre for Children and Adolescents is today named after him. The centre provides support and therapy for a wide range of mental health issues including emotional dysregulation, anxiety and eating disorders. Those receiving treatment at the Michael Rutter Centre benefit from world class therapy and receive support and compassion to help them navigate immensely difficult periods of their lives and help them to create a vision of a “life worth living” It “ministers to the mind” in the way Michael Rutter aspired to do. 

The problem is, there are just too many minds to be ministered to. Let’s hope someone somewhere is listening.