With 10 October being World Mental Health Day, we thought it would be a good time to talk about this hugely important topic, and share a great resource that has just been launched in North Yorkshire.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, 10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental problem and 50% of mental health problems are established by the age of 14[1]. These are quite shocking statistics. But the good news is that mental health is no longer a taboo subject, and much is being done to help deal with, and prevent these issues.
The North Yorkshire Go-To
North Yorkshire County Council has teamed up with our local NHS to create The Go-To – a pool of resources produced with the help of partner organisations and young people. This fantastic website offers all kinds of support for children and young people’s social and emotional mental health.
It is divided into sections for parents and carers, professionals and young people themselves.
The Young Person’s Guide to Mental Health Support provides the links/contact details for a number of organisations such as Young Minds, The Sleep Charity and Childline.
The Mini Marketplace is a directory of services designed to ensure the children and young people of North Yorkshire have access to the right mental health support to meet their needs.
The Social and Emotional Mental Health Guidance document has been developed to support professionals working with children and young people, to help identify the best way to provide support for social and emotional mental health across the county.
Boost your mental wellbeing
While it’s great to have all this information and help available, we mustn’t forget that small changes to our daily routines can have a hugely beneficial impact on our mental wellbeing.
Here are some ideas from the Wellbeing In Mind team:
- Connect with other people
- Keep active
- Eat well
- Set realistic goals
- Get enough sleep
- Practise self-care
- Try new activities
- Meditate
If you want to speak to someone or get more information, Sam Holmes is our mental health nurse and you can contact him at sam.holmes2@nhs.net.
[1] https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/children-young-people-statistics
