Blog – Latest stories tagged 'mental_health'

Young people and mental health in a changing world

On October 10th, people around the world will be taking part in the annual World Mental Health Day, drawing attention to the importance of mental well-being.

Organised by the World Federation for Mental Health since 1992 and supported by many of the national and international charities, this year the theme will focus on young people and mental health, highlighting the additional stresses faced by today’s youth that can lead to mental health issues.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, around 1 in 10 children and young people are affected by mental health problems including depressions and anxiety. However, they report a more worrying figure in that 70% of those young people have not received help at a sufficiently early age.

UK charity Young Minds report that half of mental health problems are evident by the age of 14, reaching 75% by the age of 24 – this goes to reinforce the importance of early intervention wherever possible.

WFMH President, Professor Alberto Trimboli adds: “This year, World Mental Health Day will talk about the issues facing young people and cover a small portion of the great research, stories, ideas and programs out there to help the next generations be strong and resilient in the face of hardship, life changes, discrimination and destruction. This information is only the beginning – there is an abundance of great information, organizations and advocates out there fighting for the wellbeing of young people

We ask that you join the 2018 World Mental Health Day campaign and help us create a larger audience, a greater impact and a unified voice for global mental health!”

The key topics being addressed, particularly focusing on young people, in the activities supporting World Mental Health Day this year include:

Bullying and cyber bullying

The effects of trauma

Major illnesses

Suicide

Gender identity

Ultimately the goal of WMHD is to look for a way forward: “We all know that a young person with support, stability and the information will usually lead to a positive, healthy adult. So, how do we make sure our young people have all the skills and support they need to achieve that? Early interventions, prevention, resilience support and programs to educate young people and the world around them. Following are just a few examples of ways we can help create an environment that leads to resilience and happiness.”

For more information about the campaign, visit the World Foundation for Mental Health website

For a range of mental well-being resources including teaching materials, parents guides and staff training, join our Safeguarding Essentials service.

Mental Health Awareness Week takes place between 14th and 20th May 2018

There is no doubt that social media, in its many forms, is a powerful community. From both a personal and professional perspective, social media can provide a vast array of information and connections that may not otherwise be possible in the offline world. But with this extraordinary ability to reach out to the wider world, comes the potential for risk.

In the latest Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report from Ofcom, findings suggest that almost a quarter of 8-11s and three-quarters of 12-15s have a social media profile. Their findings also concluded that one in eight 12-15s with a social media profile say there is pressure to look popular all of the time.

Researchers from the University of Melbourne’s National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health recently warned that studies have found an association between social media use and depression, anxiety, sleep problems, eating issues and suicide risk.

In addition, a recent University of Pittsburgh study of young adults suggested that heavy social media users were three times more likely to be depressed than occasional users.

The popularity of social media combined with these risks and added to all the other stresses of growing up, it's easy to understand how almost 1 in 4 children and young people show some evidence of mental ill health (including anxiety and depression), as reported by Young Minds.

Mental Health Awareness Week

With Mental Health Awareness Week just around the corner, now is an ideal time to discuss mental health issues with pupils.

This year, the campaign focus is on stress. Organisers, the Mental Health Foundation, add that "by tackling stress, we can go a long way to tackle mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and, in some instances, self-harm and suicide. We will look at how we can tackle stress and help improve our mental health."

For more information about Mental Health Awareness Week including ideas on how you can get involved, visit www.mentalhealth.org.uk

For a range of mental well-being resources including teaching materials, parents guides and staff training, join our Safeguarding Essentials service.

Is the mental health of young people being adversely affected by Social Media?

Kate Winslet has recently been very vocal about how social media is banned in her household. A mother herself, she has openly said that in her opinion, the unhealthy obsession of thinness and the media's idea of beauty leaves her in no doubt that it causes women (and girls especially) to suffer low self esteem and potential mental health issues. Controversially she has also gone further in this argument by stating that parents are losing control and that smart phones should be confiscated off teenagers for good.

She is able to put her money where her mouth is too as she has a clause written into her L'Oreal contract preventing them from airbrushing or retouching her photos. In 2003 she bitterly complained very publicly about how GQ magazine in her words 'reduced the width of her legs by a third' on the front cover of the magazine. She flies the flag for the representation of 'real women' (as she puts it) and it's her opinion that social media has encouraged girls to fashion themselves for the purpose of near strangers to 'like' their pictures.

I share her concerns to an extent. I conducted a survey recently through an online mums group with 4000 users. I really wanted to hear real life stories from parents about whether they agree they are losing a battle against the draw of social media sites and if they felt deep down that it is adversely affecting their teenagers lives.

It's difficult to admit you should be doing something when you're not. All parents know too much online time is never a good thing. The results of my questionnaire reflected this. Nearly all parents agreed that their teens spend far too much time on devices and that any sort of phone amnesty was met with strong resistance and disdain. Parents of girls were very keen to identify a lack of advice and guidance on the subject and it was obvious that they felt they needed more information about the risks to childrens mental health. They were shocked at the amount of apps dedicated to photo manipulation too - they spoke of teens being open about desiring comments and likes and gaining the maximum number of followers as possible.

Other concerns were voiced about saturation of social media 24 hours a day, online bullying and general spitefulness toward each other causing distress and anxiety (not to mention the affect this has on learning and taking up precious time at school trying to pick apart online disputes).

This concurs with a Daily Mail story recently that had the headline 'children glued to Facebook are twice as likely to suffer mental health problems'. They claim 56% of kids spend more than 3 hours a day on such sites. Parents biggest concern was how they noticed their child's mood altered during or after usage. Large numbers of families stated that there were marked changes in attitude and distress according to what was posted by viewers. Worrying information. To kids of the 80's like me it’s definitely something we find hard to relate to as growing up in a non technological world now seems very simple, innocent and appealing. So, as our first generation digital natives mature, are we yet to see the true consequences of their excessive social media exposure?

According to a national survey conducted in the US, the research provides a more positive outlook. Their findings illustrate teenagers are using social media for much more positive reasons. Headline statistics show teenagers aged 13-18 are sourcing health information online from social media sites that positively influenced them to change their behaviour about diet, exercise and well being. Far from technology being a catalyst for anxiety and depression, instead it was a self help tool for them that made a difference.

Apps and sites have cottoned onto teenagers growing interest in healthy living and it seems that it is the reference of choice for 67% of young people. It also seemed that young people use it as an ongoing support network, using social media as an instrument to aid continuing success. They report to enjoying online friendships from empathic young people, especially about issues such as bullying, eating disorders and obesity. One of the most popular online searches was not surprisingly to do with sex and relationships. Being an SRE teacher myself, I know and understand the reasons why young people seek information online. Every time I ask the question ' please put your hand up if you talk to your parents or teachers about sex?' ...the tumbleweed blows through the classroom. I can see the appeal of looking up intimate information in private and anonymously and without judgement. So for that reason I can safely say that websites such as Bish and Brook prevent a lot of teenagers contracting STI's or keep them safe from unwanted pregnancy.

So, does this information infer that it's all about developing a healthier relationship with social media and not ruling your life by it? Teenagers, by the very fact they are teenagers will lean on the side of rebellion, push boundaries, take risks, show a lack of self control at times and perhaps an inability to truly understand consequences for actions. So again the way forward seems to lie in educating young people about the pitfalls and challenging the notion that it should rule our lives or define us as people.