This month of May is Mental Health Awareness Month and this week (beginning 15 May) is Mental Health Awareness Week. The official theme this year, as set by the Mental Health Foundation, is ‘anxiety’.
I am writing this piece in support of Mental Health Awareness Week and especially to draw attention to the increasing number of young people who are suffering from a mental illness – and who need help..
There are approximately 7.5 million people in the UK living with a diagnosed mental illness, and an estimated one in four people who are experiencing a mental health problem every year.
75% of mental illnesses start before a person’s 18th birthday, half of all lifetime cases start by age 14 years and three-quarters by age 24 years.
Anxiety disorders are the most common class of disorders.
As a professional counsellor/psychotherapist and clinical hypnotherapist, I can only confirm that, within my own practice, I see an increasing number of young people who are suffering from anxiety of all kinds.
Here is a list of the most common forms of anxiety-related mental illness:
generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), skin picking (dermatillomania), hair pulling (trichotillomania), health anxiety, BDD (body dysmorphic disorder), and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
Every week, in England, 6 in 100 people will be diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (MIND) – but less than 50% of people with generalised anxiety disorder access treatment (Mental Health Foundation). This is a shocking fact!
Sadly, I meet far too many children and young people who are full of self-doubt and anxiety (for various reasons). We have a generation of young people who are struggling to cope with, and survive within, a world that, too often, seems judgemental and overwhelming.
Please watch out for changes in behaviour, moods, etc – any signs or indications that people around you are struggling to cope with their lives – and encourage them to get help.
People who are struggling with anxiety (in any of its forms) need an early intervention of help and support, before their illness becomes much worse.
If you need help, I can be contacted for a free 20-minute, initial telephone consultation on this number:
07913/979561
or I can be contacted via my website at:
www.creativecounsellingwithdianewade.co.uk
Thank you.
Diane
Diane Wade MBACP(Reg), GHR (Reg), GHSC, GQHP, CNHC, DipHyp
Diane at Creative Counselling and Hypnotherapy