These pages are dedicated to all children and young people in the North of England that have experienced mental ill health, whether their own, as a young carer, or that of a close family member or friend. These page will keep you up to date with all of the latest news, events, jobs, training opportunities and more that are relevant to young people and their mental health, as well as signposting you to the best sources of support so that you can get the help you need as soon as possible. If you are a young person or work with young people and would like to include something on these pages, or would like to discuss anything in relation to young people and mental health please contact andrew.cummings@mhne.co.uk
BBC News: ChildLine reporting calls for self harm in children as young as 5
09/05/2013 11:05:17
BBC News has reported that ChildLine has taken calls about self-harm in children as young as 5 from Wales.
Young Minds describes self harm as: ‘when a young person chooses to inflict pain on themselves in some way... you may self-harm if you are feeling anxious, depressed or stressed or if you are being bullied and feel that you do not have a support network or way to deal with your problems.’
Ann Pulling, ChildLine services manager for Wales, said there was growing pressure on young people to look and act a certain way:
'The majority of those who ring us are aged between 13 and 17 but we've had some as young as five - siblings or parents may make contact with us,' she said. 'It's not just girls but boys who find it hard to talk about it as there's a rise of 30% in the number of boys who contact us about self-harm.
The Site.org
09/05/2013 10:59:55
The Site is an online guide on looking after your health, wellbeing and dealing with anything that may be worrying you. It is aimed at 16 to 25 year-olds and covers a huge range of topics, such as mental and physical health, relationships, exams, the law, managing your money and lots more.
The Site also has online discussion boards so you can get advice from other young people with similar experiences , anonymously if you like.
“Appropriate Adult” must now be contacted for 17 year olds held in custody
09/05/2013 10:58:06
The BBC has reported that the law has been changed so that the police can no longer treat 17 year olds as adults when they are arrested.
Before now a parent, guardian or social worker would have to be brought into the police station for those aged 16 year olds and under but not for17 year olds, even though they are still legally classed as children.
Find out more here.
New report claims the children of people with mental health problems are at greater risk of harm
09/05/2013 10:57:09
Maev Kennedy, a journalist who writes for The Guardian, has reported that Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have issued a report showing that children whose parents or carers have mental health problems are more likely to be at risk of harm. It also claims that they are often poorly provided for. The report calls on the government to make it compulsory for data on these children to be collected.
The report is based on case studies from 2007-2011 where children either died or were seriously harmed. It showed that mental health difficulties in their families, particularly their parents, guardians or carers, were some of the most common causes of this. Drug and alcohol problems and domestic abuse were also listed as common factors.
One of the cases studies is of two children, aged 8 and 10, who were taken into care when their mother went into hospital. A report about her had already shown that her condition of anxiety and depression had gotten severely worse after her partner left and she had not showered for six months. She also rarely left the house and spent most days asleep, but the children were left in her care until she was admitted to hospital.
9 million adults are estimated to experience mental health difficulties, 30% of which have children. However there is no requirement to inform the relevant services or collect information on how they are handling it. This report calls for a change.
Find out more here.
Children's mental health services to have new technology such as tablets
19/03/2013 13:43:03
The Deparment of Health has reported that Norman Lamb, Care and Support Minister, recently announced the government will spend £2 million on new handheld computers for young people who use child mental health services (e.g. CAMHS). 42 sites in the UK will be given tablet computers for therapy sessions so you and your therapist can instantly access information on how close you are to achieving treatment goals, and therapists will be able to record sessions so they can see how to improve their techniques. Find out more here.
Eleanor Longden at TED2013: The important question in psychiatry isn’t “what’s wrong with you?” but “what happened to you?”
15/03/2013 14:20:03
Eleanor Longden is an English psychologist who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia as a young person and has went on to turn her life around and become an award winning leading psychologist and researcher on voice hearing, trauma, and dissociation. Eleanor was once overwhelmed by the experience, but now finds that the voices are simply a reaction to other pressures in her life and are perfectly natural. She recently spoke about her experiences at the TED Talks in LongBeach, California, where she described it as “a sane reaction to insane circumstances.” The presentation took place on Thursday, February 28, 2013 and you can read more about it here. You can also click 'read more' below to read a report that summarises her speech where she talks about the voices, her treatment and how she got to where she is today. Eleanor is a truly inspiring individual, and an excellent example that people with mental illnesses can still achieve amazing things.
'This is Abuse' Campaign challenges abuse in teen relationships
28/02/2013 15:25:37
A series of 3 new adverts has been launched as part of the 'This is Abuse' campaign to raise awareness of and tackle abusive behaviour in teen relationships. The adverts, co-produced with MTV, will run until the end of April. You can find out more on the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/this-is-abuse-advert
Houses of Parliament's Outreach Service – Workshops, Events and Information for Young People
28/02/2013 13:37:38
The Houses of Parliament's Outreach Service is now working regionally around the UK to educate and involve young people in work that takes place in Parliament. The Outreach Service visits groups and organisations across the county and holds workshops, talks and larger events (click here to find out more) and has a website with lots of information on Parliament and its activities; visit http://www.parliament.uk/education/ to find out about their work with young people and for information on Parliament that is aimed at young people.
If you work with young people up to the age of 18 and think that a session with the Outreach Service would benefit your group, please contact Sophie Byford, Parliament’s Education Service (North East), by email: byfords@parliament.uk
Watershed TV looking for 16-25 year olds affected by OCD to take part in BBC3 documentary
28/02/2013 12:26:42
Watershed TV is looking for 16-25 year olds with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) living in the UK to take part in a documentary series that will be shown as part of BBC3's mental health film season.
MHNE thinks that this programme could be of great interest, but we are in no way endorsing this. We are all too aware of the stigma attached to mental ill health and would suggest that you think very carefully about the implications of taking part and the support you may need afterwards. Whilst this programme sets out to reduce stigma and raise awareness, we urge you to be cautious.
The films will follow six British young people to Seattle USA, where they will take part in The Blue Compass OCD Camp- a unique therapy programme in America designed specifically for young people with OCD that combines OCD therapy (exposure and response prevention – ERP) with adventure-based activities in a group environment. For the young people who take part it’s a chance to improve their mental wellbeing in a challenging yet supportive environment. The camp is run by a licensed psychologist and a licensed mental health counsellor, and the therapy programme has been running in America for around 5 years with young people affected by OCD.
MHNE has background information on Watershed TV, Blue Compass OCD Camp and the healthcare professionals who run it and can give you details of how to apply; if you are interested we strongly suggest you look at the background details and consider the points made above – to request a copy of this information please contact Andrew Cummings, MHNE, by email: Andrew.cummings@mhne.co.uk or telephone: 0191 4928235.
You can also contact Watershed TV on 0203 301 8416 or email OCD@watershedtv.co.uk for more information.
New research shows possible increased risk of anxiety and depression in male teenagers who have experienced stress
26/02/2013 13:22:00
A new study has been published by researchers in Canada that looks at whether the birth weight of teenagers who have experienced stress are more likely to develop symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Click 'read full item' below to find out about this study.