Mind

"Happiness Recession" According to The Guardian, 15-year-olds in the UK are now ranked the lowest in Europe for life satisfaction. This means more teenagers in the UK are feeling unhappy compared to anywhere else in Europe. This isn’t surprising when we think about what they are going through: the impact of the pandemic, rising costs of living, missing school, long waits to get mental health support from the NHS, increasing poverty, worries about safety, and the climate crisis. With all of these challenges, it’s easy to see why being happy is harder than ever for many young people. The Guardian also reported that over 500 children in England are being sent to NHS mental health services for anxiety every day. That's more than double the number before the pandemic began. So, how do we fix this? Right now, 1 in 5 young people has a mental health problem, but they often can't get the help they need right away. That's why we joined forces with other mental health organisations to launch the FundTheHubs campaign. We asked the UK government to set up early support hubs for young people across England — and they listened! These hubs provide a safe place for young people to get help before things get worse, giving them a chance at a better future. The hubs will also help reduce pressure on the NHS, schools and other local services. We’re excited to work with the new government to make sure these support hubs are available everywhere, so every young person can get the mental health support they need in their local community. The sooner young people get support, the more it can help them thrive.

“Just call 111, press 2.” The NHS has launched a new crisis helpline on 111, giving you another way to get urgent help if you’re struggling with your mental health. It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s only part of the solution. The new 111 option might not fix everything, but it could help people get support a bit faster when they really need it. We still need serious investment in mental health services, like funding for more hospitals, community support, and talking therapies to make sure everyone gets the support they need. But if you’re in crisis, this new service will be a good starting point. And it’s worth giving it a try if you ever need it.

Sometimes the little achievements in life are just as significant as the biggies. If you’re struggling, we’re here for you 💙 Thanks so much to @letstalk.mentalhealth (insta) for letting us share this fabulous illustration.

It's a Mind day! 🎉 At Mind, we have 5 ‘Mind days’ a year, and they usually follow a bank holiday. They're bonus days off for Mind staff, and we're supposed to use them to do something for ourselves. Something that prioritises our wellbeing and helps us feel happier and healthier. Because the happier we are, the better job we can do for people with mental health problems. Does your workplace offer anything to support your wellbeing? We'd love to hear about it in the comments 👇 If not, maybe you could point them to our Mental Health at Work Commitment - we’ll pop a link in the comments. P.S. our social team aren’t working today either, so this is a scheduled post!

Trigger warning: self-harm “In 2020, if someone had told me that by 2024, I would be sober from self-harm, I would have laughed. Back then, my life was a chaotic dance of crisis: relying on services, on medication and attending crisis cafes, the crisis team, and A&E. Yet, here I am now, free from all of those, living a life that 2020 Catherine could only have dreamed about! ”If I could offer one piece of advice to others struggling with their mental health, it would be this: Learn as much as possible from everything – the relapses, the ups, and the downs. See each experience as an opportunity for growth. Identify your triggers and build yourself a recovery toolbox filled with techniques that work for you. ”Recovery is not a linear journey. It's messy, it's challenging, but it's also incredibly rewarding. Today, I am proof that with determination, support, and the right tools, it is possible to reclaim your life from the grip of mental illness.” Catherine blogs about the technique that stopped her self-harming and turned her life around. https://bit.ly/4cFEkl1

Ever heard of ecotherapy and wondered what it is? Let’s take a look… 🌱 You can find out more about ecotherapy here 👇 https://bit.ly/46WCMSz

Thinking of everyone getting their GSCE results today. Just remember these beautiful words from the ever comforting allontheboard ❤️ If you need any support, you know where we are ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eqPQ8_65

1 in 4 of us in England live with 2 or more long-term health conditions. But the health and care system often doesn't work well for those of us with multiple conditions.   That's why we've joined The Richmond Group of Charities. The group is a coalition of health and social care organisations. We'll be working alongside friends like Macmillan, Age UK, and Rethink Mental Illness. And together we want to help people living with long-term, multiple or complex health needs to live well and thrive.   Building on our existing work together on campaigns like We Are Undefeatable, we’re incredibly excited to see what we can achieve as part of this group. We'll be influencing the government, the NHS, policy development and service design. And, of course, bringing mental health to the front of these conversations. Find out more 👉 https://lnkd.in/gv8yKVyd

As if we're having to say this in 2024, but we’ll say it again because stigma has real world consequences: 📢 mental health problems are real 📢 the national mental health crisis is real There have been some recent stigmatising articles about mental health that lack facts and evidence. So let’s talk about the facts. The number of people detained under the Mental Health Act has been growing for years (exhibit A, the graph). Let's be clear, this only happens if you're very unwell. This is a growing crisis, not a problem of over diagnosis. The prevalence of mental health problems among young people keeps going up and up 2017: 1 in 9 young people had a mental health problem 2021: 1 in 6 young people 2023: 1 in 5 young people… And this is a fact, it’s from NHS research. Personal Independence Payment is not about whether you can work, it's about the additional cost of living with a long term health condition or disability. But while we're on the topic of work - being too unwell to work is not a choice. Those of us who have struggled with our mental health or supported our loved ones with their mental health know the true reality. Stigmatising articles without facts or evidence do nobody any good. Stigma has devastating real world consequences like shame, isolation, exclusion and ultimately puts barriers in the way of getting the support we need. This is already a huge obstacle, particularly for those of us severely affected by mental health problems. We've come a long way as a society to tackle mental health stigma, and there's still a long way to go, let's not start going backwards.

This is how to donate £30 without spending any money! ❌💸 Grab a bin bag (or any bag) and fill it with clothes you don’t want or love anymore and head to your nearest Mind charity shop. Because one bag of donated clothes = £30 That means every time you donate a bag of clothes to us, you’ve just donated £30 💰 The average bag contains items that are roughly worth £30, of course this may vary.