It is Mental Health Awareness Week with the theme of #KindnessMatters chosen for 2020. As our young people are already extremely aware of Mental Health, we invited them as young experts to think about what they would like other people to know. Below are some ideas from our Young People about what we should all be more aware of in regard to Mental Health. We will add to the list as more ideas emerge.
-Try to be more empathetic - even if you don't know what someone is going through or why
-What someone says in a moment can linger on and affect someone’s mental health long term
-Just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't real
Prevalence:
The Mental Health Foundation UK tells us that 10% of children age 5-16 have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem. Mental Health Charity, Mind, tells us that "approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year, and in England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week."
Here is a sweet little video from the Mental Health Foundation to remind us to promote kindness to self and others this week (and always).
