Youth Mental Health day is on 19th September

What is ?

Youth Mental Health Day encourages understanding and discussion of mental health in young people, enabling them to live happy and healthy lives all year round. Each year, the day aims to get young people, and those who support them, talking about how to improve mental health.

Thestory

Mental health concerns for young people have multiplied in recent times. Today, 1 in 6 5-16-year olds have a diagnosable mental health disorder, with 6 in 10 young people saying they are experiencing mental health difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, eating disorders, and self-harming behaviours. Yet only a third are able to access any effective treatment.

Though times continue to be difficult, Youth Mental Health Day is here to provide hope and positivity. By getting young people engaged in discussions and activities about how to improve their mental health, YMHD goes beyond raising awareness and breaking the stigma surrounding mental...

Jade reaches final 3 of BBC Devon's 'Make A Difference' Award

Great news - our 18 year old co-founder Jade, got a call from the BBC a short time ago and was told she's in the final three for their 'Make A Difference' Awards in the category of 'Volunteer of the Year'!

They interviewed her on radio and the we're all going to the big glitzy awards ceremony on Thurs 15th.

The award is in recognition of her visiting over 80 schools over the past 5 years and speaking to over 35,000 young people about mental health.

We're so proud

#GoJade

Why Should We Talk About Mental Health?

Here are 5 reasons why it's important to break the stigma around mental health.

'Mental Health Awareness' is becoming a popular term, with society shifting towards a more open and accepting stance on mental health. Social media has been a powerful platform for people to be able to share their experiences, learn about mental health conditions, and connect with others online, all behind the security of a screen.

Whilst we have come a long way since the days of repression, inhuman mental asylums, and bizarre and shocking diagnoses and treatments, we still have a long way to go. Shame, fear, anxiety, negative beliefs, and misinformation are just a few of the many roadblocks to openly and comfortably talking about what's going on in our minds and our bodies. The weight of historical baggage still hangs heavy upon our collective unconscious and feeds into our modern-day perception and education around mental health and...

C-PTSD Recovery: Deconstructing Fear.

In this post, I explore how fear shapes my experience of c-PTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder). I argue that by acknowledging our deepest fears and phobias, and by recognising the role that they play in our everyday life (most especially in our interactions with ourselves and others), we can begin to break the subconscious cycle of trauma reactions, deconstructing, processing, and eventually recovering from the experience of trauma.

Flashbacks, dissociation, and panic attacks are perhaps the best-known symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and C-PTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder). What lies at the heart of these conditions, as well as many other mental health conditions, is one of the most overwhelming human emotions: fear.

This post aims to dig a little deeper into my own experience of these symptoms, picking out some of my most prevalent fears which feed the cycle of withdrawal, avoidance, re-experiencing trauma, and suffering from...

Youth Mental Health day is on 19th September

What is ?

Thestory

Jade reaches final 3 of BBC Devon's 'Make A Difference' Award