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A report commissioned by the prime minister has revealed that as many as 300,000 people have to leave their jobs every year as a result of long-term mental health conditions.

But what about mental health problems that begin much earlier? Figures from the chief medical officer suggest mental health conditions start before the age of 15 in half of all cases - three quarters before the age of 18.

The World at One on Radio 4 made Freedom of Information requests to several mental health trusts in England and found that in some cases under-18s are waiting nearly two years between referral and treatment.

Dr Venkat Reddy is clinical director of children's mental health services at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. He defended his Trust saying: "At the moment we've got only six children waiting beyond 52 weeks" for treatment.

(Photo: Family seeing a psychotherapist. Credit: Getty Images)