Campaign to highlight teen mental health struggles
A new campaign has been launched to encourage young people in Renfrewshire to talk about how they’re feeling, after report finds their mental health can be‘dismissed’by adults.
A survey of 1,000 young people has found that 70 per cent think young people are dismissed by adults when they try to speak about their mental health, potentially leaving many with nowhere to turn.
It found that 72 per cent of Scotland’s young people have struggled with their mental health, with more than half agreeing that they wouldn’t tell someone if they were having difficulties with how they were feeling.
Commissioned by See Me, Scotland’s national programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination, the survey asked 16 to 24-yearolds for their views on mental health ahead of the relaunch of FeelsFM, the world’s first emojipowered jukebox.
FeelsFM is designed to help young people express their feelings, use music as a positive coping strategy, and find new ways to talk about mental health stigma and discrimination.
Since its launch, more than 5,000 young people have shared their views on mental health through
FeelsFM.
Volunteer Orla Murray, 18, has struggled with low mood and anxiety since she was 14 years old.
She said:“My friends were there for me, but I felt I couldn’t talk to adults about it. I was definitely concerned about the reaction of adults.
“As a 14-year-old, in a school where mental health wasn’t really talked about yet, you don’t have that faith in the adult community to speak out about it.
“I felt it was a very isolating experience to then not have these open discussions in the classroom or in the house.”
Wendy Halliday, See Me director, said:“We know that the pandemic has had a huge impact on the lives of our young people, and the new-look FeelsFM will give us a chance to better understand the pressures that they face – and I would really encourage young people across Renfrewshire to get involved.
“The platform will focus on the areas young people think are the most important right now.
“Nobody, no matter what age they are, should feel belittled or as if their experiences don’t matter when it comes to mental health.”
Find out more at www.feelsfm.co.uk