Families 'can be dismissive' when young people try to discuss mental health, survey finds
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A new survey has found that about two-thirds of young people in the Highlands and Islands feel they are are likely to be dismissed by adults if they try to speak about their mental health.
A total of 1000 young Scots were asked their opinions on a range of issues around mental health stigma and discrimination. The research found that 72 per cent of Scotland’s young people have struggled.
Sixty-seven per cent of young people nationally agreed that families can be dismissive when a young person says they are having problems with their mental health, and this figure was the same for the Highlands and Islands.
More than half agreed they wouldn’t tell someone if they were having difficulties with how they were feeling. Again the figures were identical nationally and for the Highlands and Islands, at 51 per cent.
The survey by Censuswide was commissioned by See Me, Scotland’s national programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination. It asked 1000 people aged 16 to 24 for their views on mental health ahead of the relaunch of FeelsFM, described as the world’s first emoji-powered jukebox.
FeelsFM is designed to help young people express their feelings, use music as a positive coping strategy and find new ways to talk about stigma and discrimination. Since its launch, more than 5000 young people have used the platform to share their views on mental health.
The research also found that just under four in 10 young Scots (39 per cent) think teachers take them seriously when they say they are struggling with their mental health.
See Me volunteer spokesperson Kirsty Hughes (19) is one of them.
She said: “I had a few teachers that I had particularly good relationships with. I built up the confidence to talk to them about my mental health.
"They kind of dismissed me – they argued that it was just part of being a teenager, it was all hormones, it was the stress of exams.
“But it wasn't, and they made me feel as though my feelings weren’t valid.
“That really impacted the relationship that I had with them because I suddenly thought, if they don't understand then nobody is going to understand.”
Fellow volunteer Orla Murray (18) says she has struggled with low mood and anxiety for four years.
She said: “My friends were there for me, but I felt I couldn't talk to adults about it. I was definitely concerned about the reaction of adults.
“As a 14-year-old, in a school where mental health wasn't really talked about yet, you didn't have that faith in the adult community to speak out about it.
“I felt it was a very isolating experience to then not have these open discussions in the classroom or in the house.”
More than half of young people polled (54 per cent) think that young people’s mental health has been taken more seriously since the start of the pandemic.
See Me director Wendy Halliday said: “We know that the pandemic has had a huge impact on the lives of our young people, and the new-look FeelsFM will give us a chance to better understand the pressures that they face – and I would really encourage young people across the Highlands to get involved.
“The platform will focus on the areas young people think are the most important right now, including their interaction with families and the adults who may be responsible in supporting their mental health – like teachers, doctors and managers.
“Nobody, no matter what age they are, should feel belittled or as if their experiences don’t matter when it comes to mental health.”
All the information provided by young about mental health stigma through FeelsFM will be shared with partners including the Scottish Government to help young people.
In the poll of 1000 young people across Scotland, 45 individuals took part from the Highlands and Islands electoral region.
