Emotional Health and Wellbeing for Children and Young People

5 Key Messages - November 2016

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1. #IAMWHOLE

#IAMWHOLEis a new anti-stigma youth mental health campaign developed byNHSBrightonand HoveCCGin partnership withBrighton& Hove City Council and YMCA Right Here, a local mental health project. The campaign isfronted by pop star Jordan Stephens, one half of UK music duoRizzleKicks, and is being supported byNHSEngland, the Department of Health and YMCA services across the country.

New YMCA research published in support of the #IAMWHOLE campaign reveals that just over one in three (38%) 11 to 24-year-olds with mental health difficulties from across the country say they experience stigma and that this takes many damaging forms, including social exclusion (54%) and verbal abuse (36%). More than half (54%) say this hurtful behaviour originates from friends.

Worryingly for the young people in Sussex who took part in the research, stigma also impacts on their willingness to ask for help, with 67% of those who felt stigmatised saying they were less likely to access professional support as a result. In addition, 67% said stigma negatively affected their school performance and 83% said it made them less likely to talk to others about their mental health.

2. Figures show significant rise in under-18s self-harming

According to new NHS Digital figures, the number of children and young people self-harming has risen dramatically in the last decade, with a particularly sharp rise among girls. It follows a report last month which warned thatyoung women have become the most high risk group in society, with one in four among those aged between 18 and 24 having self-harmed. The statistics from NHS Digital also reveal that 26% of women aged between 16 and 24 reported symptoms of common mental health conditions – a rise from 21% when thestudy was last made, in 2007. Dr Jackie Cornish, NHS England’s national clinical director for children and young people, said: “We recognise that vital care for children and young people’s mental health is an area where more work needs to be done.”
The Daily Telegraph

3. WHAT A MUDDLE!

Written by Jess Van der Hoech and Renée P Marks. The release of this child workbook coincides with our TAMING THE TIGER training in February (Middlesbrough and Ipswich).

What a Muddle is one of the safest and most practical ways of enabling a child achieve steady long-term emotional regulation.

What a Muddle is an excellent workbook written to help children with emotional regulation.

The book is written in a story format and requires the child to engage with the story and participate in exercises that promotes and enhances emotional regulation.

This book can be used by adopters, foster carers, therapists, social workers and teachers alike. The book is very practical and include clear instructions on how to best make use of it. Read More

‘What a Muddle’ is an interactive therapeutic workbook designed to help children begin to understand the impact that difficult or traumatic experiences can have on the functioning of the brain. A variety of activities throughout the book enable the child to start to explore this complex subject through the story of Sam, while gently encouraging them to begin to verbalise their own experiences.

Physical exercises in the book can promote changes in emotional regulation. The workbook also provides plenty of opportunity to introduce and promote the child’s sense of confidence and self worth. Having created the concept of ‘What a Muddle’, the content was inspired by children in therapy, ensuring that it is easy to follow, easy to understand and user friendly for parents, carers and practitioners alike.

For Ages 4 -12 Years

4. LGBTQ Young People’s Mental Health

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) Young People are at particular risk of abuse and/or violence, and of suffering from poor mental health: 44% of LGBTQ respondents to a recent survey had considered suicide and over half had self-harmed. New resources from the National LGB&T Partnership explain the situation in more detail; provide information to help those supporting LGBTQ young people understand their experiences better, and supply resources such as a directory of providers and a list of books with LGBT content for use in schools. The full package of resources is available online.

5. Digital Development Lab

mHabitat is delivering an NHS England funded Digital Development Lab to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies in mental health.

The Lab is open to applications from innovators who have developed promising digital technologies which have the potential to be endorsed and nationally promoted within the

NHS. We are particularly interested in tools that support the mental health of young people and families.

Details of how to apply are at the link below.

http://wearemhabitat.com/mhdigilab/

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