This year the theme of World Mental Health day is “young
people”
I’ve been looking at a few stats about MH support for young
people, and shocked to see that 10% of children have mental health conditions,
but 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health conditions
have not had appropriate interventions at an early age.
Despite 75% of mental illness starting before the age of 18,
less than 30% of mental health research is focused on young people
Only recently the BBC published a report that said that 22%
of 14-year-old girls have recently self-harmed, and 9% of boys. The pressures
on teenagers and more so, pre-teens, seems to be growing – with the impact of
academic pressure, Social media, body image & low self esteem.
We often think about older people as being lonely – but an
interesting report I read last week (again on BBC) stated that 10% of Young
People (under 24s) described themselves as always or often lonely – that’s
three times more than the over 65s!
How can we help youngsters?
So, what can we do about it? If we have children who are
suffering, or know of others, then keep trying to encourage them to:
1.
Eat healthily
2.
Sleep (not hard for some children 😊)
3.
Get moving (play a game)
4.
Find “me” time (don’t get bogged down in school
work)
5.
Get outside (walk, run, exercise)
6.
Laugh (essential!)
Sometimes it is hard to talk to people about how they are,
so seek opportunities to do so – it’s always nice to go for a walk round the
local park, or if the children are unable to walk (e.g. teenagers), try a car
journey – it’s amazing what you can talk about in the 30 minutes to football on
a Saturday.
Where can we get
support?
If you have concerns about peoples state of mind, talk to
somebody.
Where to go to?
1.
The NHS GP services are always available,
2.
Charities such as Mind do some great
workshops in Suffolk
3.
The MIX, a national charity that provide
support for under 25s online, via social media and over the phone, about all
sorts – homelessness, financial worries and mental health.
4.
Young Minds a national charity that aims to
help young people with mental health issues – they also offer a parent
helpline, which is worth knowing about!
5.
Other groups in your community – youth groups,
church groups etc.
Support the Carers
Another group of folks to look out for is the carers of young people with poor mental health or mental illness.
Recent research shows that nearly three-quarters (72 per cent) of carers in England have
suffered mental ill-health, such as stress and depression, while 61 per cent
have experienced physical ill health due to caring."
As those who know me know, I am a carer for one of my four
children; she’s 20 years old and needs support 24 hours a day to ensure that
she is safe. She has Asperger's, Borderline Personality disorder, Selective
Mutism and is Suicidal.
I am blessed in having to care for her (with my wife),
however, caring can be very tough. At times, you question whether you are a
good parent, you ask yourself the “what ifs” in terms of how you brought your
child up.
Caring can be very isolating – because of your
responsibilities you can’t pop out with friends, work colleagues, or even have
holidays.
Caring can make you feel helpless – there is little support
if you are appearing to “cope ok”
Caring can be confusing –it brings with it questions about
benefits – what is the carers allowance, how do you apply for PIP? How easy is it get Employment Support
Allowance? And what is a CAMHS team?
So, what can you do? In short, reach out to carers, their
lives are not easy – and they are often overlooked. Provide opportunities to
listen them. I am so thankful for folk
who stop what they are doing and ask how things are going, or folk who just
send a message (text or Facebook) to give encouragement.
Finally, mainly through the Peer to Peer Support Network I have
been encouraged by people who have managed to overcome issues and times of
distress. If you are going thru a dark time now, or know somebody who is, then
keep plodding on. The brighter days are coming. Find support.
Outside BT, I know of a lot of people who have struggled,
some even older than me, many younger. One such individual who I “found on
YouTube” after she released a song about bereavement is Roma Nicholson – a young
13-year-old – who has raised £ks in support of local charities by singing. When
not in school she seems to be out at a pub / party / shopping centre singing
and raising money. One such song, released for World Mental Health day is
linked below – and deals with her response from bullying
(the song features on her debut album, “Teen Spirit”, out on
release on 28th October 2018. The sale of the album will benefit local charities:
4YP Suffolk mental health project, EACH hospice and the Ipswich Winter Night Shelter.)
www.facebook.com/romasworlduk
@romasworlduk http://romasworld.co.uk/
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