I have spent a long time mulling over what to write in this blog. How do you cover such an important and wide-ranging topic such as mental health without missing out important elements and in so few words?

You don’t – and ultimately, that is the point. We cannot fix the UK’s mental health crisis with a blog or an article. Mental health is an evolving epidemic and the conversation must grow and adapt to match.

Mental Health Awareness Week this year is 12^th May to 18^th May and the theme chosen by the Mental Health Foundation is Community. So, this is where I want to start the conversation in this blog. Awareness and Community.

 I am not a mental health expert, and I don’t have all the answers. I can, however, talk about my own lived experiences and share my journey. I am not alone on my journey. I have multiple family members and friends who struggle with their mental health as well. I find myself often in “the thick of it” when it comes to the world of mental health, as I volunteer to help run church youth groups working with 11–18-year-olds, alongside running an adult mental health wellbeing group for the last three years.

Even with my experiences I felt that research was still needed. The research I found focused primarily on young people’s mental health. After what I saw, I think that to raise awareness, statistics are a good place to start:

• In 2023, one in five children and young people (aged 8 – 25) had a probable mental health condition.¹
• Suicide was the leading cause of death for people aged 5-35 in England in 2022. Around three quarters were male. ²
• 32.8% of 17–24-year-olds have self-harmed or attempted self-harm. Which rises to 69.5% of young people with a probable mental health condition. ¹
• 90% of young people worry about cost of living and being able to support themselves. ³
• In 2023/24 there was 78,577 young people waiting over a year for mental health NHS treatment. 44% of them had to wait over two years.  ⁴
• In 2017/18 – 31% of 16–24-year-olds reported some evidence of depression and anxiety, which had risen from 26% the year prior.⁵ Unfortunately the ONS have not provided a more recent figure.

The statistics are saddening, but unfortunately not surprising. Statistics like this can raise awareness, but without context or further explanation are not enough.

Young People’s Voice

I wanted to get the thoughts and opinions of some young people from our community, so a couple of weeks ago at youth group I asked for some volunteers to answer a few questions. All in the hopes of raising more awareness and helping people to understand young people’s views more.

The answers came from three males aged 15 or 16 and four females aged between 13 and 15.

“Would you say you currently or have ever struggled with your mental health?”

• Five said yes and two said not really

“Which area of mental health is your biggest struggle? “

• Comparison / self-confidence, stress, anxiety / social anxiety, depressive thoughts.

“What does poor mental health look like for you and what are the triggers?”

• Feeling isolated, going quiet, neglecting myself, feeling overwhelmed and negative, feel sick, struggle with eating, miss school.

"What do you do to help yourself?"

• School counselling, medication, spend time with “nice people”, read a book / watch a film, colouring, talk to close friends.

“Have you ever had negative comments about your mental health, or bad advice?”

• “Everyone gets sad, cheer up”.
• “Just get over it”
• “Just don’t worry about it”

“What would you like adults / other people to know?”

• “Everyone needs to understand that mental health is just as important as physical health.”
• “It’s not always obvious when someone’s struggling, people mask it well.”
• “Everyone has different struggles and everyone recovers differently. You don’t know what’s going on in their head”
• “It isn’t constant, it can often come on randomly or unexpectedly”

The insight into real young people’s mental health and their feelings, to me seems more valuable than some numbers or statistics.

Whether meaning well or not, the advice given for question 5 shows how some people view mental health. Everyone does, in fact, get sad, but advising someone to just “cheer up” or “get over it” won’t help anyone. We need to educate ourselves and other people on how to care and support people who are struggling.

Similarly, the responses to question 6 had some important responses on how to help with the awareness of mental health struggles.  Often people can find it easier to care for themselves and others physical injuries or sickness rather than mental health.

Community

As mentioned, the theme for this year’s mental health awareness week is Community. I believe community is vital to the support and overcoming of mental health struggles. I believe that one key reason for the sharp rise in mental health illness is down to loneliness, which has been made worse over the last few years by the pandemic and national lockdowns. I have spoken to people who have said that even when they’re surrounded by people they can still feel “lonely” or "isolated".

A symptom of poor mental health is often wanting to isolate yourself, thus increasing the problem and becoming more isolated. It is paradoxical.

Everyone can work on building their resilience, which goes hand in hand with improving their mental health. Yet we need to do more, one way we can improve is by pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones and into community.  Community can look like a big group or one-to-one conversation, but surrounding yourself with trusted people is a good start.

Community gives people a sense of belonging, social support or a sense of purpose and all these things can improve overall well-being

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Signposts and Support

Whilst talking about awareness and community I wanted to take the opportunity to signpost some options for support and some tips for supporting others.

• Sports clubs and attending sporting events – Being part of a sports club is a good way to get exercise done as well as being part of a community, or even going to watch events.  – Check out this video Norwich City FC posted for world mental health day last year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8TgVR33KM

• Coffee mornings and social clubs – These Clubs can provide lots of community. These groups run open social clubs or coffee mornings where you can meet new people and talk freely to others.

• Mental Health Support groups – Are a great resource if you want more specific mental health support. One option is “Hub of Hope” - https://hubofhope.co.uk/?utm_source=mind_website&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=peer_support

• Another Great Mental Health Support Group  –  “Kintsugi Hope” - https://www.kintsugihope.com/about - I have led Kintsugi Hope groups, which cover 10 weeks of various mental health topics and provide a safe space to talk and learn more.

• Finding Connection – The BBC wrote an article recently about training barbers to talk about mental health with customers. For some people, talking to strangers about mental health is the easiest way to open up.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cg66qzlppgpo

Improving your mental health:

There is no extensive complete list of tips and tricks to improving your own mental health or supporting others. However, some suggestions could be:

• Routines and Small wins – Daily routines and ticking off simple small tasks like a small walk or making the bed can build a sense of achievement and control.

• Limit social media – “Doomscrolling” for hours will lead to exposure of bad news, negativity or comparisons and this will dent your mental health. TikTok and Reels are built to build endorphins but never give you the full release, so you keep scrolling for longer, never quite satisfied.

• Talk it out – Find a friend you can trust to talk to, or try counselling or even journalling are all good ways to express yourself. Sometimes saying something out loud is all you need to reduce some stress or anxiety.

• Prayer/Faith/Meditation  - a lot of people like to have beliefs and feel connected to something “bigger than themselves” and prayer or meditation is a good way to do this. Personally, my faith has played a big role in my mental health journey.

Supporting others with their mental health:

1. Listen without fixing – Sometimes people don’t want advice, they just want to feel heard. A simple “I’m sorry to hear that, I am here for you” can help people.

• Check in regularly – A simple “thinking of you” or “is there anything you need” message can help people feel less isolated. Be consistent, even if there isn’t always a response.

• Encourage help, don’t force it – Offer to go to groups with them, suggest counselling or seeing a GP but don’t add extra pressure.

• People move at their own pace - what seems like little improvement might be massive to them. Be patient and avoid judgment.

There is no one size fits all approach with mental health. Which is why community is so important, you may not have what you need, but your community does. Find your people, wherever they are. At Fresh Start, we champion the needs of vulnerable children across the UK, and we know change is possible when communities unite. Join us, and be part of the movement that's standing up for children's futures.

References

1. https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up
2. https://www.papyrus-uk.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Under-35s-Statistics-England.pdf
3. https://www.youngminds.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-impact/deconstructing-the-system/
4. https://www.youngminds.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/increase-in-young-people-waiting-over-a-year-for-mental-health-support/
5. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/youngpeopleswellbeingintheuk/2020

About the author

Josh Cottingham

Josh is the Finance Manager at Fresh Start, bringing seven years worth of experience in financial management and a decade of experience in youth engagement. With a strong background in running community youth groups, he is deeply passionate about safeguarding, mentorship, and the wellbeing of young people.

His work focuses on developing financial strategies that support sustainable programmes, ensuring that Fresh Start can continue making a meaningful impact. Beyond his role in finance, Josh is committed to creating safe and inclusive spaces where young people can thrive, build confidence, and shape brighter futures.