10 October 2023 is World Mental Health Day, a day to raise awareness of a year-round problem for many people.
Statistics:
- Every week in England, six in 100 people will be diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder, according to Mind.
- In the UK, over 8 million people are experiencing an anxiety disorder at any one time (Mental Health UK).
- Less than 50% of people with generalised anxiety disorder access treatment (Mental Health Foundation).
- 115 people die by suicide in the UK every week – with 75% of those deaths being male (ONS)
- One in five people have suicidal thoughts (NHS Digital).
Good mental health begins in childhood
More than one in three children and young people are exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event by age 18 (UK Trauma Council) and this can have a devastating and lifelong impact on a child’s developing brain leading to psychiatric disorders and poor mental health in later life.
It is vital that everyone, especially children and young people, get the mental health support they need to mitigate the effects of trauma as soon as possible. Brain changes in the developing brain can and do affect how a child interacts with the world around them and in turn, can have a detrimental impact on their social and economic future. The developing brain makes adaptations to help the child cope in the environment they are experiencing, whether that be one where physical or sexual abuse, domestic violence, or other trauma prevails. These adaptations to the brain can be helpful in those situations but detrimental to the world around them and in the way in which they socially interact with the world.
Many people, including survivors of childhood sexual abuse, struggle to access the mental health support they need. However, there is help out there. Do not suffer alone.
Below are just some of the organisations that can provide some guidance and support if you need help.
- Samaritans Call: 116 123 for free.
- Mind Call: 0300 1233393
- Rethink Mental Illness
- CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably)
- MindOut
- Young Minds
- The Mental Health Foundation
- Anxiety UK Call: 03444 775 774
How we can help
Dianne Collins is a Senior Associate in our expert Personal Injury team, which has been ranked in Tier One by the independently researched publication, The Legal 500 and Commended in The Times Best Law Firms 2023.
For more information on the subject above, please contact Dianne or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online enquiry form.
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