You may be familiar with the term CAMHS, which stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. We are moving away from using 'CAMHS' and these services are now known as Children and Young People's Mental Health Services - or CYPMHS.
Mental health problems in young people are very common. Up to one in four people will experience poor mental health at some point in their life.
We all go through times where we feel down, angry or worried, and this is a normal part of being human. However, sometimes these difficulties stick around for prolonged periods, or affect us in many ways. If you find your mental health is affecting your everyday life it might be time to consider talking to someone. This could be a parent, teacher, friend, GP or any other person you feel could support you. Most schools have access to some form of pastoral support so talking to your head of year or a teacher can be a good place to start. Many young people find that talking to someone they trust can really help, and it doesn’t have to be someone specifically trained in mental health that can help us.
Seeking help is often the first step towards staying emotionally well, but it can be hard to know where to go for support. In our ‘helping yourself' and 'getting help from services' sections we cover a range of self-help resources and guidance, as well as information about the various services and organisations who can support children and young people with any difficulties that they might be experiencing.
There is a useful guide on how to open up to someone at: www.mind.org.uk/information-support/for-children-and-young-people/talking-to-friends-and-family