The world young people are navigating is complex, set against emerging identities, continuing fallout from the pandemic and the complications and pressures of social media. We hear from local practitioners how getting support and having opportunities for real-world engagement and connection can help
There's a growing crisis in the mental health of young people. Research published last year showed that the number of children referred to emergency mental healthcare rose by more than 50 per cent in the three years prior to 2023. Another more recent study found there was a further increase of 10 per cent in the following year.
The pandemic looms large as a likely cause, but the fact this trend has continued since suggests that there may be more to it. As youth charity, YoungMinds, highlighted in a recent campaign: “The youth mental health crisis isn’t caused by one thing. It’s a million tiny things that add up.”
Navigating complex issues
“I think young people's mental health is a huge concern for everyone,” says Sarah Wood, youth mental health manager at West Sussex Mind. “We are seeing a lot more young people with risk-related behaviours such as self-harm, disordered eating, self-neglect and suicide ideation. There's a lot of low emotional resilience in young people and we're still seeing the impact from the pandemic. But young people are also navigating quite a complex landscape of social media, and that’s had a huge impact on their mental well-being.”
Sarah runs the Be OK service at West Sussex Mind, which offers one-to-one sessions for 16-25-year-olds who are experiencing low to moderate mental health challenges and supports the transition into adult services. The sessions are designed to provide strategies and tools to help young people reach their goals and overcome some of their challenges. Complementing these sessions, the service also offers workshops, webinars and groups.
“The group with the most engagement is our neurodivergent group,” says Sarah. “And that's online, which is interesting. Maybe it comes with the territory, as a lot of autistic young people find face-to-face interactions difficult. But when you think about the pandemic, most of life went online and some of it never came back.
"However, we are seeing fewer young people wanting remote one-to-ones, so that's positive. It’s about challenging them to come out from behind the screens, without enforcing it. The hybrid approach is really important.”
Finding coping strategies
Dave Floud is a recovery worker at BHT Sussex, which runs the Be OK service in Horsham, Crawley and Mid Sussex. The challenges faced by the young people he works with include sleep disorders, anxiety, depression, exam stress and bullying. However, Be OK is not a crisis service, and while Dave can signpost people to other organisations, his role is to listen to young people and suggest methods they can use to cope with whatever they’re going through.
“Everyone requires a different approach,” explains Dave. “It's a bit of a dance with the client. What do they want? What are they ready for? What's appropriate? It’s about trying to learn with them. What are the challenges? How are they spending their time? What are the maladaptive coping strategies, like substance misuse or overusing their social media, and what are the adaptive ones? It might be mindfulness, it might be self-care, it might be diet, daily routine, it might be acts of kindness, or it might be just going outside.”
Dave also runs a conservation group, which supports community projects such as the Garden Gang at Mac’s Farm in Ditchling and Nature Natters at Wakehurst botanical gardens. He says young people often find it useful to get involved with outdoor activities like growing food, gardening, interacting with animals, or simply walking and talking.
“A lot of us seem to live in our heads and don't pay attention to our emotions or our bodies. Often for young people it's about trying to get them out and get them active, doing things that are positive. And then trying to embed those positive feelings to build up good habits. If it's healthy, enjoyable and helps your mental health, then give it a go, see where it takes you.”
Reaching out for support
Giving it a go, however, can also be difficult. Even though there’s less stigma around mental health issues among young people today, many of them still find it hard to ask for help. A former service user, named Sydney, told us how she felt apprehensive about reaching out before referring themselves to West Sussex Mind.
“It’s so difficult to make that jump,” says Sydney. “To put that trust in someone else and talk about things, especially very traumatic things. But people don't realise how important it is because the minute you share it with someone else, it relieves a lot of pressure. It actually gives you space to breathe a bit more.”
Sydney was diagnosed with depression and anxiety at school, and had coped with support from her family, but her mental health plummeted after she was sexually assaulted at university. She also experienced an abusive relationship around the same time. After contacting West Sussex Mind, she began one-to-sessions with Sarah Davies, a colleague of Sarah Wood.
“The first moment I realised the progress I had made was when I saw my abusive ex-boyfriend in one of my university lessons,” Sydney recalls. “I had a huge meltdown and I totally froze. But then I stopped and remembered what we had spoken about in our sessions. Before that I would never have even gone in the room. But I managed to calm myself down, carry on with the lesson, and I got through it. I cannot thank Sarah enough. She was brilliant with me.”
“The most important thing that we can give a young person is a safe space without judgement,” says Sarah Wood. “The goal is not to remove somebody’s mental health issues. It's to provide hope. It's to provide strategies and skills. And we always want to hear what young people have to say. Feedback is crucial to us, for motivation and staff morale, as well as making sure we're offering the right thing. So when you hear back that people feel like it worked, well, it gives you the motivation to keep doing it.”
Find out more about services for under-18s provided by Pathfinder West Sussex.
Find out more about BHT Sussex’s Be OK service for 16 to 25 year olds in Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex.
Find out more about West Sussex Mind’s Be OK service for 16 to 25 year olds in Worthing, Adur, Bognor, Littlehampton, Chanctonbury, Midhurst and Chichester.
