It was World Mental Health Day this month so it is important to recognise the amount of young people who are struggling and dealing with mental health issues including stress, anxiety and depression. The NHS published that among 17–19-year-olds 23.3% had a probable mental health disorder in 2023, while 21.7% of 20–25-year-olds also did.
Anna a 21-year-old graduate of the University of Liverpool, (who does not wish to be identified for personal reasons) said: “It took a while to get taken seriously by some doctors, they would usually brush me off in a way and tell me to take walks and drink water. After finally being given the right medication, I feel much better.” She added: “I think it’s a good thing that we have World Mental Health Day because it’s something that should definitely be spoken about more and lose the stigma it has, as it’s something a lot of people deal with.”
Many mental health conditions develop when you are in your late teens and early twenties. Young people tend to think their mental health is poor and could improve.
According to Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy, NHS Providers, “More than 1.8 million people are on the waiting list for mental health services. NHS trusts are very worried so many people, particularly children and young people are not getting the help they need.”
World Mental Health Day aims to recognise global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. This year’s theme set by the World Federation of Mental Health was workplace mental health. According to MHFA England more than half of all work-related illnesses are due to poor mental health including stress, anxiety and depression.
Anna said: “Whilst balancing my third year of university, I was also working part time on Bold Street. I’d say this is when my anxiety was at it’s worst. I’d ring in sick more than I should have for work, luckily, they were understandable about this. It is a horrible feeling balancing everything in life and work on top of that, so workplace mental health is definitely an important thing to recognise.”
Within Liverpool this year, the Liferooms organisation in Walton and Bootle hosted a “5 ways to well-being” event to honour the day. This is a non-profit organisation which aims to challenge the stigma and promote positive mental health and well-being.
