MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

We are proud to work with a number of organisations and projects promoting positive mental health support in all of our residents, coaches, volunteers, participants and service users across our community, supported by Young Minds.

The past three years have been tough. We've seen a global pandemic, political instability, cultural shifts and global crises.

These have come together to make life feel unpredictable and difficult. For young people like you, it’s poured fuel on an already burning fire. It continues to get harder for you to navigate things in your life like education and work, and now you're facing a future that feels even more uncertain.

This report shines a light on the young people’s mental health crisis. It brings together the voices of tens of thousands of young people who shared their experiences of the world around them. While the backgrounds, identities and experiences of these young people differed, what they told us was all too similar. Their perspectives have shown us exactly what areas need to change, and we want to make that change a reality.

Our five focus areas for change and how we are supporting people -

The stories and experiences of young people have helped us to identify five broad areas where change is needed.

You have spoken and we have listened.

These five key focus areas will underpin our policy development work so that, working alongside you, we can start to turn the tide of the young people’s mental health crisis.

Social structures and systems

The first area of concern is the social structures and systems that young people like you interact with most: education, the economic system, health and social care, law enforcement, and critically, the political system and media. You've told us that these are failing to support your mental health.
Mental health services

Our second area of focus is the overstretched and underfunded mental health services. This is having a profound impact on your mental health, despite being built to protect and improve your mental health.
Social inequality and discrimination

Our third and largest area is social inequality and discrimination. We found that social inequality and discrimination shows up in every area of young people's experiences. This has the greatest impact on your wellbeing, making you feel unsafe to be yourself. And this is particularly true for Minoritised young people.
Global issues

The fourth area we’ll focus on is the impact of global issues. You and other young people are not only aware of what’s going on across the world, but you're being deeply affected by it. This includes warfare and instability, as well as social, health and climatic breakdowns that have characterised the last few years, and will no doubt characterise the coming decades too.
Social pressures and attitudes

Our fifth and final focus area is society and its impact on young people on an individual level. Your day-to-day relationships, your communities, and your wider society are impacting your mental health. But there is hope. You told us you can also benefit from your social circles and communities. There is potential for these to provide a well of support for you.

Mental health services

Find out how to access NHS mental health services and where to get urgent help.

Urgent advice:If it's an emergency or you need urgent help

If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 or go to A&E now
If you need help urgently for your mental health, but it's not an emergency, get help from NHS 111 online or call 111

Your mental health is as important as your physical health. You will not be wasting anyone's time.

NHS urgent mental health helplines

Get 24-hour advice and support from a mental health professional, for anyone of any age

NHS therapy and counselling services

NHS talking therapies services are for people in England aged 18 or over. You can speak to your GP about talking therapies or get in touch with the talking therapies service directly without going to your GP. Talking therapies can treat conditions like:

depression
generalised anxiety
social anxiety
panic and agoraphobia
other phobias
obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
body dysmorphic disorder

Get NHS therapy and counselling

This page will be updated regularly with advice, referral information and tips and tricks to lead a happier, healthier lifestyle.