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More than half of young people in the North West say lockdown has impacted their mental health
Research also found the pandemic has made three out of five young people in our region feel anxious
New research has revealed that more than half of young people in the North West believe lockdown has negatively impacted their mental health
On top of that, the research also found that the pandemic has made three out of five young people in our region feel anxious, with more than 60% of young people not turning to family or friends for mental health support due to worries of being judged or misunderstood.
The research was conducted by Stop.Breathe.Think, a new mental health service for people aged 21 or under run by national youth charity Snow-Camp.
Unlike other free mental health services, Stop.Breathe.Think offers young people up to 12 weekly one hour counselling sessions, as well as a free 24/7 text support service.
With no wait times and a team of more than 40 specialised counsellors, the service helps provide vital mental health access to young people at a time when they need it the most.
Alarmingly, the average age of young people getting in touch is 14 and some of the most common issues they report include anxiety, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
Furthermore, the study discovered that one in three young people in the North West are put off seeking mental health support due to wait times.
Other reasons young people in the North West are put off from seeking mental health support include being scared of being judged (34%) and not knowing where to go to access support (31%).
Stop.Breathe.Think is completely confidential and manned by a team of counsellors who specialise in a variety of youth mental health issues, ensuring that every young person receives specialised, targeted support from the start.
Since its launch, over 500 young people have independently reached out for support – which currently takes place via video call – with more than 1,000 sessions delivered through the service.
After receiving counselling via Stop.Breathe.Think, young people are connected with local partners and organisations to continue receiving support if they need it – since completing their counselling sessions, 70% said that they now feel in a better place mentally.
One young person from Manchester said of the service: “Stop.Breathe.Think has given me tools to actively work on my mental health and deal with low points in the future. I’ve felt listened to unconditionally which has made me talk about things I never thought I could.”
They added: “I now have new strategies and ways of thinking about my mental health and have already seen a dramatic difference after 6 sessions and have finished feeling excited to continue progressing.”