Reflections on mental health from young people

Young people look out to the sunset

To mark World Mental Health Day 2022, we asked our Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG), part of our Mental Health Infrastructure Programme, to share some of their thoughts on their relationship with mental health and reflect on their experience with the group in line with the day’s theme: 'making mental health and wellbeing a global priority for all'.

Mental Health: What's the big deal?

By Kaden, 17, YPAG Member from Westminster and a Member of Youth Parliament for Westminster

"Is mental health really that important?" ask some cynics. One only needs to look at the data to answer that question. Research conducted by the UK Youth Parliament reveals that Health and Wellbeing (especially mental health) is the number-one issue for young Brits this year: of over 430,000 surveyed, it was the top concern for 93,000 (Ref 1).

This World Mental Health Day, we celebrate those who have worked to make positive change around mental health; whether it be the counsellors, doctors, and psychotherapists who treat it, the educators who generate awareness of it, or the activists who struggle to destigmatise it.

For centuries, the life of the mind has been second to the life of the body. Normal people were forced to internalise their emotions, whilst those working through issues with their mental health were treated like animals, tests cases, or worse. Brave advocates and professionals have fought for generations to bring this hidden social ailment to light, and eliminate it once and for all—and the progress over the last couple of decades has been phenomenal.

Yet, there is still much work to be done. The Youth Parliament's analysis reveals that "96% of Focus Groups across the UK [181 out of 189] stated that a lack of health and wellbeing funding and resources was one of the biggest issue impacting their communities welfare (Ref 2)." Young people, including those in my constituency, and NW London in general, suggest current mental health services for adolescents are radically underfunded and understaffed. This needs to be addressed with urgency.

This is where the power of Youth Advisory Groups really begins to show. Organisations like Listen to Act are devoted to educating and destigmatising; exactly the behaviours we are recognising this World Mental Health Day. However, to truly understand the situation, and therefore develop accurate and effective solutions, young people need to be consulted.

I believe that Gen Z is possibly under the greatest level of pressure and stress of any adolescent generation in modern history. We are moving from a traditional world into an increasingly digitised era, and in this new Anthropocene, the youth is being forced to rapidly adapt to day-by-day changes—and our mental health is sometimes the collateral damage. To minimise this, Youth Advisory Groups like the ARC NW London YPAG are absolutely vital.

This World Mental Health Day, let us not just acknowledge how far we've come (and truly, it is far indeed), but let us also look forward into the future, and remember we have a long, long way to go.


References:

1. UK Youth Parliament: Make Your Mark 2022

2. UK Youth Parliament: MYM 2022 Understanding Our Communities Report

Mental health is a 'real thing'

By Isra, 18, YPAG member from Hillingdon

I don't think I'd ever viewed mental health as a real thing until two years ago. That's the truth. No matter how many times I'd sit in class in secondary school, listen and actively participate in discussions surrounding the topic, it never managed to settle its way into my thoughts and meld itself to my brain.

Mental health was real when the topic came up. But nonexistent everywhere else.

You're probably reading this thinking what a shallow human being, and you're probably right because two years ago I was unscathed by the realities of the world around me. No matter how many times you hear someone talk about their experience with anxiety or depression, it will never register the same as the moment you were drowning in a sinkhole of your own problems, carrying what felt like the world's sh*t on your shoulders and have to walk around like everything's ok and you're fine and you're not homeless and your mum’s not depressed and your dad’s really trying to be okay and your siblings are never going to know what it's like to be a kid anymore. That's when it registers to you that mental health is a physical beast that has the ability to drain all colour out of your life.

And you just read the last sentence and like I said it didn't hit the same. To you, mental health might be real, but then again it genuinely might not and since it hasn't touched you yet it definitely does not exist.

Now I'm here. I'm 18 and it feels like my eyes have been washed with bleach. Everyone has a story. Everyone's been through sh*t and most of the time they don't know it. That's the saddest part.

That's mental health.


A valued voice

By Merkesha, 22, YPAG member from Ealing

My name is Merkesha and I’m a 22-year-old from London. Throughout my teenage years I had a few struggles with my mental wellbeing – from moments of anxiety and moments of low mood/depression. I often found that my mental wellbeing wasn’t taken seriously by my family, so I therefore shied away from opening up to them.

Within the last two years I felt comfortable enough to open up to my mum about my struggles and began to reach out for help. I tried counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy which helped me in the short term, however the same issues often reoccurred. I am currently looking for something that works well for me long term.

I joined the youth advisory group to be a part of making a change and supporting future generations. I feel included and I can really tell that the team values our voices being heard.