Mental health
There was a time when no one talked about mental health in the way we do now: Mental health problems were limited to conditions such as clinical depression, what was once called ‘manic depression’ but is now known as bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. If you didn’t suffer from any of those, then you didn’t have a mental health problem. It was simple: either you were ‘crazy’ or you weren’t. Thankfully, it’s a different story now, not least because the stigma around mental health has been lifted and people no longer feel the need to talk about it in hushed tones.
We’re all on a continuum when it comes to mental health, just as we’re on a physical health continuum. At one end of the spectrum there are those of us who enjoy good physical health, are mobile and engage in activities that promote wellbeing, while at the other end, there are those who smoke like chimneys, drink like fish and over-indulge in foods that risk triggering conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
While the pandemic exacerbated the mental health crisis and revealed to many aspects of their wellbeing they may not have appreciated, the UK had been facing a different kind of epidemic long before Covid-19 caused the nation to shut down. When it comes to Britain’s youth,
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- 2017/2018 figures showed that over 40,000 teenagers were admitted to hospital for self-harming;
- nearly 200,000 nought to eighteen year olds were referred to CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service);
- looked after children, LGBT and one third of young people in the youth justice system are likely to have mental health conditions; and
- over half of all mental health disorders start before the age of fourteen.
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The slide into mental ill-health can be caused by a number of factors, including:
- bullying, both physically and cyber
- abuse
- economic hardship
- trauma
- medical illness
- difficult family dynamics
- the challenges of social media
- pressures relating to academic performance
When looking for solutions to our youth mental health crisis, it is essential that we take a holistic approach to supporting children and teenagers to achieve a level of mental, emotional and spiritual equilibrium that allows them to navigate the ever increasing complexities of the world they live in.
There are many ways we can support our children’s mental wellbeing. Here are a few suggestions:
- begin by supporting your own mental health so that you are able to support your child’s
- give them the one thing money cannot by: your time
- Carve out time in your week to check in with your child to see how they’re doing
- Create an environment that makes it easy for your child to spend time with and open up to you
When it comes to mental health, it takes a village to raise a child and for us at NOPA, that village consists of the child’s parents or carers and the school. Children do not exist in isolation, so it is crucial that all the work we do with the young people takes into account the home/school context. Children are at the heart of what we do, and we understand the role families, support networks and schools have to play in helping them to overcome their challenges and thrive.
As well as taking a child-centred approach to our practice, we support their families by giving them the tools they need to achieve their objectives. With the best will in the world, some parents are not equipped to give their children what they need. NOPA empowers them to better support their families.
As far back as 1991 – long before it became fashionable – we recognised the importance of good mental health. Our work is a combination of practical support and therapeutic interventions and we have found that we get the best results because we appreciate the importance of helping families achieve the right ‘head space’ before they set about tackling the day-to-day challenges of paying the bills, sorting out their housing issues or adjusting to domestic upheavals.
NOPA uses creative activities that build children’s confidence and help them express themselves and if we think it would be of benefit, we also offer our services to parents. We have seen transformations in our children as a result of working with them, with many enjoying increased self-awareness and an improvement in their friendships, while others see progress in their academic attainment.
NOPA is committed to working in a joined up way because we know that children and young people are more likely to sustain new ways of being if the people around them – family and teachers – play an integral role in their growth and grow alongside them.
To learn more about mental health and young people, follow the links to these websites: