Young People and Mental Health Issues

Just as people’s bodies can become unwell, people’s minds can become unwell too. Mental health problems are more common than you might think - three children in every classroom have a mental health problem.

There are different kinds of physical illness and different ways to treat them. There are also different types of mental illness and different types of treatments for them. But mental illness is something most people find hard to talk about.

Asking for help

Most of us feel overwhelmed or like we can’t cope with things at least once in our lives and most people feel like that a lot more frequently. It is at times like that that you need to be able to talk to someone and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Many of us don’t like to ask for help. We don’t like to burden other people, we are worried about what they will think about what we tell them, we don’t want them to tell other people, we are scared they will laugh at us. Yet most of us would want to help our friends and family if we thought they were having a hard time, so why would they feel any differently towards us?

There is the old saying ‘A problem shared is a problem halved’ and sometimes you can feel better just talking to somebody about a problem. It may be that you are just having a bad day or it could be an ongoing mental health problem that you need support with, but the important thing is to not try and cope with everything on your own.

Who can you ask for help?

Parent

Sibling

Family member

Close family friends

A mate

A neighbour

A colleague at college or work

A professional such as a social worker, doctor or nurse

A support group in the community

A helpline

Asking for help is important and can be anything from talking to someone about your bad day, confiding in someone about a long-term mental health problem, discussing some therapy you are receiving but it is important for you to have support. It is not good for any of us to spend too much time on our own, especially if we are feeling low and vulnerable.

Top tips about asking for help

Think about who would be the best person to talk to. Only you can decide who you feel most comfortable talking to. It may well be someone in your family or a friend (see our section on family and friends) but if you don’t feel comfortable talking to friends or family, there are online discussion forums, helplines, support groups and professionals that you can talk to instead.

Choose a good time and place for this discussion to take place so that you are not interrupted and don’t feel uncomfortable in the surroundings.

Think about the outcome that you want from this discussion. Do you simply want to tell someone how you are feeing? Or would you like more practical or emotional support? Be clear what you want to achieve from the discussion.

Write things down before you talk to whoever you choose to talk to in case you forget exactly what you want to say so it can act as pointers during the chat.

Explain exactly how you are feeling – and the type of support you feel would help you.

Remember, however difficult it is to talk about your feelings, you will probably feel better just for talking about your problems and it is important that you are not on your own and struggling on your own when you are feeling low. People who care about you will want to help you.

Information taken from: www.youngminds.org.uk