young people on mental health

a person posing in a park: Photograph: Antonio Olmos/The Observer

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When Lucas emerged from hospital the world had changed. It was late March and the 19-year-old was ordered to shield after six weeks of treatment for sepsis.

Like most teenagers, Lucas relied on social interaction, but his autism also required routine. Monday meant dog agility classes; Tuesday was brass band night; Wednesday, the St John Ambulance get together. On Thursday and Friday, there was training for Lancashire’s inclusive rugby team, the Typhoons. Suddenly, there was nothing. His mental health collapsed.

“The world became very overwhelming. I just wasn’t coping. In between March and May, I had a couple of very bad mental health crises and ended up in an inpatient unit. It wasn’t safe for me to be on my own at home. To say I struggled through Covid is an understatement,” said Lucas.

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It is a fraught narrative repeated by young people across the country against the backdrop of an unfolding pandemic. Isolation, anxiety and uncertainty over the future have destabilised an entire generation.

The charity YoungMinds, whose remit is to prevent young people’s mental health reaching crisis point and to which Lucas turned for help, has recorded phenomenal demand for its services. During 2020, more than 2.5 million young people, parents, carers and professionals have turned to YoungMind either online or through its specialised helplines.

The number of calls and emails to its confidential parents’ helpline, for those concerned about a young person experiencing anxiety, anger and suicidal thoughts, increased by 43% over the last 12 months. Use of the charity’s Find Help page rose by 48%. Demand for information on grief and loss soared by more than 150% compared with 2019.

Emma Thomas, the chief executive of YoungMinds, said: “The impact of the pandemic on young people has been significant, and there is evidence that it could be long term.”

More immediately, Covid has obliterated support systems and coping mechanisms. Those who have experienced childhood and adolescent trauma are particularly vulnerable.

Lucas began struggling with his mental health when he was 12, having looked after his mum and spent time in foster care. Many of those who contact YoungMinds report difficulties emerging at a similar age.

Cassianne was 11 when she started self-harming after suffering anxiety and depression. “My self-esteem was low and I kept myself to myself which left me a lot of time to be in my mind.” She began using social media to try to make sense of her feelings.

“There were a lot of accounts with people in depressed states, talking about their life. I became more and more sucked in, I became so lost in it all,” said Cassianne, now 19.

Although she eventually sought help from her GP, the pandemic has induced fresh anxieties. In September, she started studying law at the University of Hertfordshire. Instead of finding new friends and a stimulating experience, Cassianne found herself isolated through her fear of catching Covid-19 in an environment where few seemed concerned.

“A lot of people didn’t care about the virus, they were going out to parties and coming back to my building. I developed a lot of anxiety. I was panicky, cleaning everything. I didn’t want to leave my room, go into the shared kitchen.”

Abbey’s experience studying criminology at University of Salford was similarly discomfiting. After her course moved entirely online she lost all motivation.

“I found it almost impossible to concentrate, which led me to falling behind. Along with that, I was away from home, unable to go anywhere or do anything due to restrictions, which made me feel extremely lonely. The government has completely neglected university students during the pandemic, particularly in regards to mental health,” said the 21-year-old.

Abbey, 21, also battled mental health issues early, struggling with anxiety and insomnia when she was 10. By the age of 13, she was self-harming.

Bullying at school was the catalyst. “Before, I never used to care about how I looked and my weight, but constantly being called names and made to feel less worthy took a toll on me and how I viewed myself.”

She sought support when she was 15 and in 2017 was diagnosed with PTSD.

Abbey, Cassianne and Lucas are eager to share what they have learned. As “activists” for YoungMinds their collective message is that anyone can overcome their demons – if they get the right help.

Gallery: Heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic (Photo Services)

Since the beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, doctors, nurses and paramedics have been working round the clock while risking their lives, along with many unsung heroes such as the grocery store workers, truck drivers and workers in the sanitation department. As these people and other volunteers continue to help and serve others, let’s take a look at some pictures through the year showcasing their efforts during this global crisis.

(Pictured) Medical staff members dance to a Christmas song at the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Dec. 10.

A doctor stands outside the emergency entrance at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S., on Dec. 4.

Needy people receive food, fruit and vegetables from volunteers at a Tafel food bank during the COVID-19 pandemic in Schweinfurt, Germany, on Nov. 30.

A civil defense volunteer, wearing a COVID-19-themed helmet, holds a placard as he takes part in an awareness campaign at a market in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 25.

Michelin-starred Del Cambio restaurant’s chef Matteo Baronetto (L) and his assistant Vittorio di Palma prepare pasta with meat sauce that will be distributed to associations which help people in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Turin, Italy, on Nov. 17. Baronetto is part of the “Solidarity Kitchens” project, a network of 21 restaurants, volunteers and charities in the northern city that has served up about 35,000 meals since it began in late March 2020.

Recovered COVID-19 patients donate convalescent plasma at Gavrilov Blood Centre of Moscow’s Health Department in Russia, on Nov. 12.

A medical worker sits next to a patient in the COVID-19 unit of the Private Hospital De La Loire in Saint-Etienne, France, on Nov. 6.

A nurse is helped by a colleague to put on her personal protective equipment (PPE) at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the COVID-19 cases, in the San Filippo Neri hospital in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 29.

Medical workers rest after hours of treating patients suffering from the COVID-19 in an intensive care unit at the Hospital Juárez de México in Mexico City, Mexico, on Oct. 29.

Volunteers make face shields at an old sewing workshop at the El Cementerio neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela, on Oct. 28.

Auxiliary police officers, wearing Smart Helmets – a portable thermoscanner that can measure the temperature of passengers at a distance, patrol inside a commuter train in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Oct. 14.

Crew members of Palestinian Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs carry out disinfection works at Great Omari Mosque before the first Friday prayer after being closed for more than a month, in Gaza on Oct. 9.

A health worker wearing protective suit performs exercise with COVID-19 patients at at Patriot Candrabhaga stadium, which was turned into isolation center for people showing symptoms of the disease, in Bekasi, Indonesia, on Sept. 28.

Doctors visit a patient in Chosica, east of Lima, Peru, on Sept. 4.

A nurse works at a ward for COVID-19 patients at the Bogor general hospital in Indonesia on Sept. 3.

Workers, wearing biosecurity suits, disinfect a plane at LATAM airline’s hangar at El Dorado international airport in Bogota, Colombia, on Sept. 2.

A medical worker waits for patients at a drive-through COVID-19 test center in Zagreb, Croatia, on Aug. 27.

A gas cylinder delivery man rides on a deserted road after government re-imposed lockdown for a week as a preventive measure against the spread of the COVID-19 in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Aug. 20.

Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces disinfect the balcony around the Christ the Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to its opening in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 13.

A health worker prays as a catholic priest blesses the COVID-19 swab test area of a hospital in Manila, Philippines, on Aug. 6.

Government employees, wearing face shields and protective face masks, help people process their request for an early withdrawal of a percentage of their pension, in Santiago, Chile, on July 30.

Cleaning staff carry lidded trash boxes to minimize contamination after collecting PPEs used by doctors who treated patients infected with the COVID-19 at St. Peter’s Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 17.

Dressed in full protective gear, doctors walk along a dirt road during a house-to-house coronavirus testing campaign, in Avircato, Bolivia, on July 7.

Doctor Haidar Ali Musa al-Hasani, internal medicine specialist, wears a protective mask as he prays during his rest time at the Al-Hakim Hospital in Najaf, Iraq, on June 22.

A health care worker writes the name of the doctor with a marker on the protective suit in the COVID-19 infectious disease ward of the Central Customs Hospital in Baku, Azerbaijan, on June 16.

A health worker labels a bag containing biological waste from patients infected with the coronavirus at the San Rafael Hospital in Santa Tecla, El Salvador, on June 11.

A woman working at Medic Egypt for Medical Clothes company makes protective face masks at a factory in Menoufiya, Egypt, on June 6.

A volunteer wearing protective gear helps a woman with a mask during a charity event in Minsk, Belarus, on May 2.

Volunteers wearing face masks fill bags of bean as they prepare packages of food and necessity goods for low-income families in Hermosillo, Mexico, on May 2.

Volunteers distribute free drinks to police personnel during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in Amritsar, India, on May 1.

Volunteers distribute free reusable face masks in a street in Yekaterinburg, Russia, on May 1.

Volunteers distribute face masks and leaflets to commuters outside a metro station in Vincennes on the outskirts of Paris, France, on April 30.

Volunteers distribute $15.4 (500 THB) cash handouts from an anonymous donor to people affected by the virus at Wat Phra Sri Mahathat Woramahawihan temple in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 24.

Members of the Italian Red Cross load boxes of food, which will be distributed to a network of food banks across Milan, in Segrate, Italy, on April 20.

Volunteers spraying disinfectant in the compounds of a school as it prepares to reopen in Weifang, China, on April 12.

Volunteers from the Islington Covid-19 Mutual Aid group are seen preparing food parcels for weekly distribution to members of their community, who are in self-isolation and experiencing financial difficulties, in London, England, on April 10.

Firefighters and volunteers disinfect a street in Yangon, Myanmar, on April 8.

Volunteers from Sonko Rescue Team, an NGO privately funded by Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko, fumigate a street at a residential area in Nairobi, Kenya, on April 6.

Volunteers from the La Soupe Saint-Eustache association are seen distributing free meals to homeless people at Saint-Eustache church in Paris on April 1.

Volunteers at the non-profit organization, Martha’s Table, load bags of fresh produce to distribute to people in underserved communities, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on April 1.

Hotel employees hand out food to beach vendors, who are struggling due to the lack of tourists after the beach was closed to curb the spread of coronavirus, in Acapulco, Mexico, on April 1.

Volunteers of “Panama Solidarity Plan” load bags of food on a pick-up truck at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 1. The food will be delivered to low-income families.

A selection of donated food and essential items is delivered by a member of Haringey Council to vulnerable residents in London, England, on April 1.

Volunteers give a face mask to a food delivery man during an action for free distribution of masks, in St. Petersburg, Russia, on April 1.

Volunteers prepare packages of basic necessities for the poor, in Naples, Spain, on April 1.

Members of Arizona National Guard unit load up a Black Hawk helicopter to deliver medical supplies to the remote Navajo Nation town of Kayenta, in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., on March 31.

Kids offer free lunch to a truck driver at a rest area in Sacaton, Arizona, U.S., on March 31.

Volunteers from Hezbollah’s Islamic health unit stand in preparation to sanitize streets as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus, in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 31.

Workers clean the Cheonggyecheon stream under the posters for the upcoming National Assembly elections on April 15, in downtown Seoul, South Korea, on March 31.

People feed stray dogs in New Delhi, India, on March 31.

The master tailor of Cottbus State Theatre holds self-sewn protective masks in her hands, in Cottbus, Germany on March 31. The theatre company has joined the broad movement of institutions and volunteers who responded to the call of making urgently needed protection masks.

A DeliverLean employee prepares meals to be distributed to senior citizens as part of an emergency meal program, in Miami-Dade County, Florida, U.S., on March 30.

A man pulls up a basket in Naples, Italy, on March 30. The baskets were hung up so that people could use them to donate or take free food.

An artisan couple assembles 3D printed protective face masks in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on March 30. The couple is producing the masks using donated materials, which will be donated to health professionals treating coronavirus patients.

Engineers at Rice University work to create a low-cost ventilator that could be used to treat coronavirus patients, in Houston, Texas, U.S., on March 29.

Medical staff conduct health screening for homeless people on Day 2 of the national lockdown at the Durban Exhibition Centre in South Africa on March 28.

Joy Glandt, a geriatric nurse at an outpatient nursing service, applies a compression bandage to her patient, in Hamburg, Germany, on March 27.

A nurse collects a sample from a person at a COVID-19 screening drive, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, on March 27.

Volunteers prepare bags of fruits for Red Cross members in Milan, Italy, on March 27. The bags will be delivered to citizens who need assistance.

Employees at AST Sportswear switch from making T-shirts to making masks, in Brea, California, U.S., on March 24.

A priest makes the cross sign while holding a confession in the church’s parking lot while maintaining a safe distance, in Bowie, Maryland, U.S., on March 20.

Staff and contractors work through the night to clean and disinfect public buses at the Montgomery County Division in Rockville, Maryland, U.S., on March 20.

People donate blood during a drive carried out by the German Red Cross, in Erfurt, Germany, on March 18.

A homeless person is treated by a Red Cross worker in Rome, Italy, on March 17.

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Already Cassianne and Abbey have offered evidence to parliamentary inquiries into body image and social media and contributed to campaigns promoting wellbeing in schools.

Abbey is particularly keen to broaden discussion about LGBTQ+ and mental health, and is convinced that, had she seen someone who specialised in the area, she would have improved more rapidly.

She has also helped the charity develop resources for young people managing PTSD, believing that it remains a taboo subject still associated with “war and combat” instead of a traumatic event.

Isolation at home during coronavirus covid-19 pandemic.

Isolation at home during coronavirus covid-19 pandemic.

Cassianne, from north London, is developing her own mental health workshops and writing about her experiences of racism, recognising that youngsters from black and minority ethnic backgrounds suffer disproportionately from mental health issues. Lucas, meanwhile, wants to restart training as a children’s nurse.

It is not just help they all want to share, but hope too.

If you are a young person struggling with your mental health, advice and support is available on the YoungMinds website, including information about how to get help . For urgent support, contact the YoungMinds Crisis Messenger by texting YM to 85258. YoungMinds’ free helpline for parents is on 0808 802 5544 from 9.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday

The Samaritans offer support and advice to people feeling suicidal or vulnerable 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Their website is https://www.samaritans.org, email address [email protected] or call free on 116 123

This Christmas you can give a vulnerable child the dedicated support they need, and a life that they could never have thought possible. Together we can make a difference. Join us here.