Young people’s mental health I was suicidal and learnt you just have to talk to someone

As most of you will be aware, the British Red Cross has declared the NHS as being in a “humanitarian crisis”. Now whether that exact wording really hits the nail on the head is neither here nor there, but what is undeniable is that the NHS is struggling like never before.

This struggle is epitomised by its dealing with mental health issues – specifically with regards to sufferers under 30, the age bracket affected by 75% of diagnoses.

I’m going talk about my experiences, but this isn’t really about me, it’s merely highlighting the problems faced up and down the country.

Every year, almost 7,000 people commit suicide in the UK – a number that is on the up.

While reasons for suicide are vast and wide, a key factor in the majority of cases is that of an underlying mental health issue; an area which, despite government pledges, sees its funding cut year-on-year.

The issue society is facing, in general, is that often people don’t know how to broach the topic of mental health and, increasingly, those affected also don’t know how to go about getting help.

About 16 months ago, my GP referred to me to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), yet it was 13 months until I received an actual appointment.

During that time, I tried to take my own life twice, but I didn’t tell anyone about it for a long time.

I think the primary reason for not saying anything was that I didn’t really want to cause a fuss but also, it’s hard to drop it into a conversation.

The thing about conditions like these is that, despite the fact that anyone can be affected by them, there is a very real stereotype surrounding how they should act and what they should look like.

You know, dresses in black, has a funny fringe and listens to bands like Weezer (I had to Google them).

But that’s simply not the case. Take me, for example. If you asked people to describe me, I suspect depressed would be pretty low on their list.

Bubbly? Like a can of Coke. Funny? Depends who you ask. Loves Little Mix? Absolutely. Won’t stop talking? Included on my school reports more times than you could imagine.

Like I said earlier, the issue is not helped by the fact that over half of NHS trusts are having their mental health budgets slashed, despite claims of increased investment.

Around a quarter of us will suffer from a mental health condition in our lives – whether it’s for