Confession Pt 1: A Snapshot of Mental Health and Provisions for Young People
Mental illness feels like a storm cloud of doubt, turmoil and pain that is passing over you; though like a cloud and for however brief, it can and will pass to reveal an ever blue sky of hope and happiness. Treasure those moments, remember the peace you feel and the love from those around you to help you weather the next one.
I suffer from mental health problems (*cue gasp). I’m your counsellor seeing, pill popping, anxiety suffering young adult, who by all accounts should be well on his way to living a happy life according to many. To the less sympathetic among you, no, I’m not some “snowflake” who needs to be bubble wrapped to protect my feelings, as I am more than likely to just pop them in order to relieve my stress from Year Here… oh, on second thoughts, wrap away! Anyway, as many know or don’t know, life is never so simple, nor is it fair or unfair. However special you think you are, I’m sorry to say but the universe does not conspire against you, it’s just life; you take the hand you’ve been dealt and make the most of it. At a young age I saw the ugly side of the world and so decided to show the world what they wanted to see, the glossed over, everything is dandy edition of it. I went through school, 6th form and university with a smile and an enthusiasm (sometimes misplaced) that was so well practiced that I almost convinced myself that everything was OK. My life was as real as the towns folk in “The Truman Show” waving, smiling but hating every minute of it, though I didn’t get paid for it. People always said I should have been an actor as I loved drama at school, not to brag but this would have been an almighty show. It was carefully orchestrated to what I thought was perfection.
It seems that I may not have been alone, as 3 children in every classroom are thought to have a diagnosable mental health condition. Though when my stage performance of a life came crumbling down, I was left with what I thought was nothing but sadness and despair. I locked myself away and worked hard to stop my myself from finding ways to meet my maker or makers (who knows!) and nearly failing if not for friends. (If I had worked that hard at university I may have got a first!). So it should come as no surprise to people that I have such an affinity for the mental health and psychological well being of young people.
Sorry for this folks but a quick message to the PC police, I know your fingers are itching to type furiously to reprimand me for making light of depression and suicidal thoughts, so I say this to you in the nicest way to keep this post kosher, please do one! Now that that is dealt with, my little revelation may come as a surprise to people, but it’s the truth and that’s OK. I now understand that my life is a work in progress and I feel better with the understanding that I’m not the only one. I was lucky, albeit under duress from friends, to seek and receive the continued help I needed to help guide and support me through this dark time. However, not everyone is so fortunate. So it makes me wonder, if I had early intervention at secondary school when things changed for me, would things be different?
Now to the present and my odyssey with Year Here, from where I have been in an environment where I can really explore the impact of mental health and psychological well-being provision in schools. I’ve been placed at City Gateway College (CGC), an inner city alternate provision in Tower Hamlets. A large proportion of its learners have a wide range of difficulties both at home and in education, be that through being in care, in a gang or Special Educational Needs (SEN) among other things. It alarms me and truly concerns me that they have very little in place for the mental health and psychological well-being of their learners. It has made me think and question that if an educational establishment like CGC doesn’t have the appropriate provisions for its students then this may be a wider problem.
There is a greater need for provisions in schools, as now we are facing an ever increasing demand because the mental makeup of our classrooms is changing rapidly. In 2016, 90% of secondary teachers had said that they had seen an increase in mental health problems especially anxiety and depression. The number of 0–17 year olds who were admitted to A&E with a psychiatric condition more than doubled between 2010/11 and 2014/15 from 6,950 to 14, 917 seeing a 114% increase (Burt 2016). This is a worrying trend as these are the ones that were found and interventions made, what about those who are beneath the radar and are in education and are in need of early intervention. I would love to say I have a memory of the brilliant early intervention provision in my secondary school to identify students like myself, but I’d be lying. Not to say I blame my school for my mental health, as it seems that it goes beyond that. Schools can do very little if they are not given the right resources to combat the growing issues of mental health. The government allocation of funding for ‘early intervention’ funding for local authorities fell under the Coalition and Tory governments from £3.2 billion a year in 2010/11 to £1.4 billion in 2015/16, this is a reduction of 55% (IPPR 2016). This has created such a pressure on the local child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to deliver a good standard of care to our young people with chronic under funding, while having an increase in demand. It sounds like an impossible task to me. We have every reason to feel outraged by the way that child and adolescent mental health provision has been slashed in the name of austerity, it has to change.
Social media is a wonderful thing as it allows us to connect with people and look to share our lives with friends, family and in some cases total strangers. Though for young people it would seem sometimes that their phones or social media is an extension of themselves. Its estimated by the Office of National Statistics that in 2012/13 that 56% of young people spend up to 3 hours a day using social media. In the past few years the number of hours has more than likely increased. Social media sites have many benefits but can also cause a lot of pressure on young people and with it the dangers of cyber-bullying. The pressures on young people to fit into certain societal norms are a massive. The pressure to have the right brand of clothes or that much coveted like on a Facebook post is not only damaging as you seek validation from it but it borders psychotic! Childline had seen an 87% rise in counselling sessions it provided for young people relating to cyber-bullying between 2013 and 2014 (NSPCC). Now with the apps such as the instant photo sharing app Snapchat, we are seeing a rise in pressures to start sexting. The idea of not being prepared to send photos and be seen as frigid and then consequently ostracised is a horrible experience and a result of intense peer pressure. In a survey taken by around 3000 10–16 year olds it was found that nearly 20% of them knew of someone who had been ‘forced to send a nude picture or video’ (NSPCC 2014). The then sharing of these images and videos is a cause of great pressure that effects the mental health and well being of young people.
For anyone who looks after young people there is a pressure to keep them safe even from themselves. It is the responsibility of us all to ensure that we keep the mental health and well being of the youngest in our society in mind. To encourage them to be open and share any concerns that they may have, to say that it is not weak to ask for help but it shows tremendous strength. As these young people are the future and need to have the right support and care to ensure that they have the ability to flourish. What I have shown you is the very tip of an immense ice berg. I know from experience the challenges that our society faces but we must try. There is much more to explore in part 2, which is where I look into what we can do to better help secondary schools provide the right care and early intervention for young people. So keep safe people and please keep your eyes out for any signs that someone close to you may need some support. Thank you for reading this, have a blessed day!
If there is anything that has been brought up in this article that you feel you may need support about please contact Mind charity on 03001233393.
