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According to new research released today to support the BBC School Report, half of teenagers with mental health issues try to cope alone, with a third saying they were not confident enough to speak with a teacher about their mental wellbeing. Conducted by researchers from ComRes with a sample of more than 1,000 UK based 11 to 16 year olds, the research highlighted the importance of mental health support in the academic environment, in particular training teachers in the skills to recognise and respond to pupils’ mental ill health.
The results of the survey were significant – with 70% of the young people surveyed reporting that they have had negative feelings in the past year: 47% felt upset and unhappy, 34% felt worried about how they looked and 41% reported feeling anxious.
The research for BBC School Report said that the most important things schools could do to support their pupils’ mental wellbeing was to provide an avenue for students to speak confidentially with someone “trustworthy.” However, the research showed that pupils did not feel that resource was currently available, with 18% describing the help currently offered at school as “poor.” Only half of the young people in the survey said there was an allocated teacher they could talk to, and just 15% had older students as mentors.
Alongside this research into pupils’ mental wellbeing, a separate survey of just over 700 teachers found that resources for teachers were lacking, with many unsure how to approach the issue of student mental wellbeing. Of those teachers surveyed, 73% were often, or occasionally, concerned about a student’s wellbeing in their time away from work. Despite this over a third had not had any training on how to deal with pupils’ mental health issues, and a quarter said they would not know how or when to refer a young person in mental distress for help.
That’s why at Mental Health First Aid England we’re so proud to be part of a new initiative announced by the government in January to transform attitudes to mental health in young people. As part of these plans, we’ll be helping to deliver Mental Health First Aid training, so that by 2020 at least one staff member in each secondary school in England will be trained as a Youth Mental Health First Aid Champion - someone who is skilled in understanding how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental health issues in young people, and will have the confidence to guide the young person to a place of support.
Poppy Jaman, CEO for MHFA England said in response to the announcement:
“We are delighted by the Prime Minister’s commitment that secondary schools across the country will have at least one member of staff trained as a Youth MHFA Champion. Mental ill health in young people is a growing health concern, with half of all lifetime cases of mental health issues starting by the age of 14. This move from the government is a welcome step towards bringing mental health on a par with physical health, and we are particularly pleased to hear that the Department for Health will be putting adequate resource in supporting this commitment.”
In the coming months, MHFA England will continue to work alongside the government, schools and the MHFA instructor community to ensure that this commitment to train a Youth MHFA Champion in every secondary school is met.