• Our Story
  • What We Do
  • Our Team
  • Legal
  • Contact Us
  • The Youth Leaders Debate
  • Anonymous: A Million Men
Write for Us
Shout Out UK
  • Politics
    • All
    • Brexit 2016
    • Elections
    • GE2017
    • Law
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    It’s panto season, but who’s who this election?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Disappearance of British GP practises

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Labour’s Brexit cliff edge: The dangerous oblivion that’s taken hold

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Three major party manifestos for the confused young voter

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Mistakes To Avoid When Restoring A Historic Building

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    James Giles: An interview with the teenage election candidate

    Trending Tags

    • Young People
    • Women
    • Welfare
    • Theresa May
    • LabourConference2018
    • ConservativeConference2018
  • World News
    • All
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • N. America
    • S. America
    • United Kingdom
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    It’s panto season, but who’s who this election?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Disappearance of British GP practises

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Labour’s Brexit cliff edge: The dangerous oblivion that’s taken hold

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Sex workers aren’t going anywhere, so let’s stop demonising them

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Three major party manifestos for the confused young voter

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    James Giles: An interview with the teenage election candidate

    Trending Tags

    • West
    • USA
    • Syria
    • US presidential election
    • Terrorism
  • Money
    • All
    • Business
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    New Year, New Car: Which Make And Model Is Right For You?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Supporting Local Businesses At Christmas

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Does Following A Passion Make A Good Business?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    How You Can Make More Of Your Home Business: Successful Tips To Get Your Biz Thriving

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Britain’s Billionaires: Is it time to pay?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Every Business Needs An Office-Clearing Day

    Trending Tags

    • Advice
    • University
    • Unemployment
    • Technology
  • Culture, Travel and Sport
    • All
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Media
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    New Year, New Car: Which Make And Model Is Right For You?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Disappearance of British GP practises

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Substance Abuse: Prevention Tips For Students

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    How You Can Make More Of Your Home Business: Successful Tips To Get Your Biz Thriving

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Mistakes To Avoid When Restoring A Historic Building

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Psychosomatic: A Big Word With Even Bigger Implications

    Trending Tags

    • Motorsport
    • Cars
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Music
  • Reviews
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Review: Race Room Simulator

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Knock Down the House: The women making America great

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    How The Favourite makes a refreshing change for queer women in film

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Max Polyakov and Association Noosphere hold an engineering BestRoboFest 2018

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Netflix’s Wild, Wild Country captures America’s ongoing xenophobia

  • Political Literacy Education Programmes
    • For Schools
    • For Individuals
  • Get Involved
    • Write for us
    • Opportunities
    • Events
No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
    • All
    • Brexit 2016
    • Elections
    • GE2017
    • Law
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    It’s panto season, but who’s who this election?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Disappearance of British GP practises

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Labour’s Brexit cliff edge: The dangerous oblivion that’s taken hold

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Three major party manifestos for the confused young voter

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Mistakes To Avoid When Restoring A Historic Building

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    James Giles: An interview with the teenage election candidate

    Trending Tags

    • Young People
    • Women
    • Welfare
    • Theresa May
    • LabourConference2018
    • ConservativeConference2018
  • World News
    • All
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Europe
    • N. America
    • S. America
    • United Kingdom
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    It’s panto season, but who’s who this election?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Disappearance of British GP practises

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Labour’s Brexit cliff edge: The dangerous oblivion that’s taken hold

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Sex workers aren’t going anywhere, so let’s stop demonising them

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Three major party manifestos for the confused young voter

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    James Giles: An interview with the teenage election candidate

    Trending Tags

    • West
    • USA
    • Syria
    • US presidential election
    • Terrorism
  • Money
    • All
    • Business
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    New Year, New Car: Which Make And Model Is Right For You?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Supporting Local Businesses At Christmas

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Does Following A Passion Make A Good Business?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    How You Can Make More Of Your Home Business: Successful Tips To Get Your Biz Thriving

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Britain’s Billionaires: Is it time to pay?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Every Business Needs An Office-Clearing Day

    Trending Tags

    • Advice
    • University
    • Unemployment
    • Technology
  • Culture, Travel and Sport
    • All
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Media
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    New Year, New Car: Which Make And Model Is Right For You?

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Disappearance of British GP practises

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Substance Abuse: Prevention Tips For Students

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    How You Can Make More Of Your Home Business: Successful Tips To Get Your Biz Thriving

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Mistakes To Avoid When Restoring A Historic Building

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Psychosomatic: A Big Word With Even Bigger Implications

    Trending Tags

    • Motorsport
    • Cars
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Music
  • Reviews
    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Review: Race Room Simulator

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Knock Down the House: The women making America great

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    How The Favourite makes a refreshing change for queer women in film

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Max Polyakov and Association Noosphere hold an engineering BestRoboFest 2018

    NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

    Netflix’s Wild, Wild Country captures America’s ongoing xenophobia

  • Political Literacy Education Programmes
    • For Schools
    • For Individuals
  • Get Involved
    • Write for us
    • Opportunities
    • Events
No Result
View All Result
Shout Out UK
No Result
View All Result
Home Culture, Travel and Sport Health

NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

Today is Mental Health Awareness Day and I'd like to talk about facing our problems without shame.

Imogen Lock by Imogen Lock
09/10/2019
0
18
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The time has come for us to address the fear and stigma surrounding mental health.

And believe me: there is a problem. The NHS’ report, Mental Health of Children and Young People in England reveals a lot about the state of our young people’s mental health. According to its findings, 1 in 6 young people between the ages of 17 and 19 suffer from a mental disorder — a number which has risen in recent years. However, there was an even more worrying statistic: of the 9,117 children who were surveyed, only two-thirds of those with mental disorders had made some kind of contact with professional services.

As young people, our mental health can affect our lives as much as, if not more than, our physical health — so why are we so hesitant to talk about it? At this point, I have stopped bothering to be embarrassed about discussing my mental health with other people. After years of living with anxiety and a year’s worth of therapy to help deal with it, I no longer feel the need to apologise for having a mental health issue, or needing help to overcome it.

When I was 16, my anxiety made my life near impossible to live. Every day was overcast by its shadow. I lived in constant fear of a panic attack and my emotions and relationships were unstable as a result. It was only when I was no longer able to bear it alone that I found the courage to ask for help. And for me, it worked.

It may help to think of mental health by comparing it to physical health, as the latter is something that everyone seems to be able to understand. A person’s physical health is always changing, and it does so in different ways and to different degrees. Perhaps you’re a person who has a relatively stable physical health: you eat relatively healthily, exercise every so often and aren’t suffering from any illnesses. Despite the fact that your physical health is pretty much fine most of the time, you might still get headaches every so often that cause you discomfort. You might catch a cold or the flu and have to miss a few days of work or school. You might even have an accident and break your leg, leaving you out of action for weeks or months at a time.

I would go as far as to describe this as the ‘average person’s physical health’, a phrase I use hesitantly as there is no such thing as an average person. There are no ongoing or debilitating illnesses, but there is still a human body with the potential to be affected by outside factors: catching a cold from a family member, falling down the stairs and breaking a bone, etc. Even people whose physical health doesn’t necessarily affect their everyday life in a particularly negative way are sometimes prevented from continuing with their daily routine by outside factors.

So if we can accept that everyone has a certain level of physical health, is it such a difficult step to imagine that everyone can also have a  certain level  of mental health as well?

Consider a person who rarely has cause to think about their mental health. On the whole, they enjoy the shape that their life is taking and they are happy with their family and friends. Though they will occasionally have a blip in their contentedness, say at work, school or in their relationships, for the most part, they have nothing to complain about and certainly no diagnosed mental health problems or disorders. Despite this, every so often a person will feel unhappy, perhaps with no clear reason why. This unhappiness may stem from a problem in their personal or professional life, leaving them feeling this sadness for an extended period of time. Perhaps the person experiences a sudden, traumatic event. All of these outside factors would affect a person’s mental health, in the same way that outside factors can affect a person’s physical health.

Let us consider again the idea of a physical health problem. Some physical health issues we can handle on our own, perhaps by letting our immune system fight them or by the aid of other remedies. For other issues, we need to seek outside help, normally from a doctor. If you, for example, break your leg in an accident, you’re unlikely to avoid medical attention and expect it to heal on its own. Our first instinct in these situations is to seek help from a professional.

The same is true for mental health. Some issues we can overcome on our own without professional help, perhaps through meditating on our problems or talking things through with the people we trust. Other mental health issues might be too complex to overcome without help, and this is where a professional’s help should come in. It’s not embarrassing to go to the doctor with a physical health problem, so why should you be embarrassed to visit a therapist with a mental health concern?

The most important thing that I learned through my experience with mental health is that there is always someone you can turn to. In school, it could be a trusted teacher or adult. Many HR departments offer free counselling to their employees. There are hundreds of mental health charities out there looking to help (Mind and the Samaritans are among my favourites). And if none of the above are relevant, the NHS offers free counselling services to all patients registered with a GP — and you don’t even need a referral from your doctor to apply. (Visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/free-therapy-or-counselling/ for more information).

Everyone has the right to visit a doctor: you don’t need to be diagnosed with a serious illness to do so. Similarly, everyone has the right to visit a therapist. You don’t need to have a diagnosed mental illness in order to seek professional help. Sometimes, it’s okay to just not be okay.

Ask yourself today: are you afraid to talk about your own, or other people’s, mental health? It doesn’t need to be this way. Imagine a world in which confronting our mental health is as normal and shame-free as walking into a doctor’s appointment. Take the first step towards looking after your mental health with as much awareness as you would give to your body. Your feelings are valid, and you are never as alone as you think.

Tags: anxietyDepressionmental healththerapyYoung People
Share18TweetShare
Previous Post

What To Do Next After A Bad Job Interview

Next Post

Is Privacy Dead In The Age Of The Internet?

Imogen Lock

Imogen Lock

Next Post
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

Is Privacy Dead In The Age Of The Internet?

Stay Connected

  • 13.2k Fans
  • 12.8k Followers
  • 3.9k Followers
  • 1.7k Subscribers
  • 3k Subscribers

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

Top 8 Brexit lies debunked

01/11/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

CBD Oil UK: An Introduction

06/10/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

England rugby’s private school problem

03/11/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

Why Extinction Rebellion is close to extinction

28/10/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

‘OK Boomer’ – Empowerment or Ageism?

2
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

Northern Ireland allows abortion and gay marriage by default

1
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

It’s panto season, but who’s who this election?

05/12/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

New Year, New Car: Which Make And Model Is Right For You?

05/12/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

Disappearance of British GP practises

05/12/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

Labour’s Brexit cliff edge: The dangerous oblivion that’s taken hold

03/12/2019

Recent News

NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

It’s panto season, but who’s who this election?

05/12/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

New Year, New Car: Which Make And Model Is Right For You?

05/12/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

Disappearance of British GP practises

05/12/2019
NHS report shows mental health is plaguing young people

Labour’s Brexit cliff edge: The dangerous oblivion that’s taken hold

03/12/2019
Load More
Shout Out UK

We are a multi-award winning youth education brand that provides world class training and programmes on Political & Media literacy via our interactive platform.

  • Advertising on Shout Out UK
  • Political Literacy Programme
  • Editorial Guide
  • Legal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • About
  • Webmail
  • Our Team
  • Advertise
  • Legal
  • Contact Us

ShoutOutUK LTD. (company no. 09717655) or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Politics
  • World News
  • Money
  • Culture, Travel and Sport
  • Reviews
  • Political Literacy Programmes
    • For Schools
    • For Adults
    • Election Pack
    • EPlatform Login
  • Get Involved
    • Write for us
    • Opportunities
    • Events

ShoutOutUK LTD. (company no. 09717655) or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.