Andrew Mayers, patron for Dorset Mind, believes there needs to be better mental health education and awareness in schools.
He states that campaigners and teachers need to “work with young people to tell them about what mental health is – not just about what mental health problems are – but the ways in which they can live their lives more effectively.”
He emphasises the importance of charities educating schools on the struggles that many young people are facing, as well as providing them with the skills to help them cope.
“we can start talking to [schools] about how to help if they do see mental helath problems arising…to be able to help them understand what young people are going through and to give them the support that they need.”
56% of children worry
This comes following new statistics that show 56% of children worry all the time about something.
The survey was based on the answers of 1,100 10-11 year-olds and 13-15 year-olds, conducted by Place2Be as part of Children’s Mental Health Week.
The research suggests that children who are getting under 9 hours sleep a week are more likely to struggle with worrying.
36% of those children also said that once they start worrying, they find it hard to stop and 22% revealed that they are unsure of what to do when they do get worried.
Andy has previously linked this deterioration to the rising pressures now put on young people by school to get the top grades.
He stated that “there seems to be today too much pressure on those schools to be seen to be performing, and as a result there is way too much pressure on young people to be performing simply to make the schools look good.”
