This blog was written by Experience Jack experts and she, with the support of Professor Kamaldeep Bhui, member of the MQ Sciences Council.
I am Jack, and I work as a research advisor and policies for the Attune research project.
One in five young people aged 10 to 25 is experiencing a mental health problem; This is a terrifying statistic, especially when we consider that there are 12 million young people in this age group in the United Kingdom. What is even more worrying, is that during this crucial moment in their life where their identity and personality develop, more than half of them have not had effective support.
Another amazing number is that mental health costs the United Kingdom preservatively £ 117.9 billion every year. Adverse experiences of childhood (Ace) experienced by young people can have long and limiting life effects of life. Young people who are more likely to consider suicide, use alcohol and drugs, develop chronic diseases and face unemployment.
It is suggested to have more than 5 Aces to shorten life expectancy in 15-20 years.
Although ACEs can affect anyone, those who live in the poorest parts of the country, or who are part of minority communities such as the LGBTQIA+community, the immigrant community, those that are neurodergente and disabled, and others that do not access the support are more likely to suffer, and more vulnerable to experimenting and being affected by ACES.
Working with the Attune Project as part of its young people’s advisory groups (YPAG), I have been able to see how Aces can have a catastrophic effect on young people and their lives. Throughout the country, the stories I have heard are very different, but also similar in terms of invalidation of experience, and the strong feeling that their experiences do not matter to those who are destined to help them. This not only damages the possibility that young people seek support, but can be an ace itself. I have also been able to see how creative practice works to help young people process, open and communicate with others about things that are bothering them.
A group of us talked to a youth worker in Cornwall about his experiences working with young people who experience poor mental health. He talked about how he offers them an option for the sessions he does with them, or leaves and doing an activity and speaks, or is inside; All of them, he said, chose to do an activity. This is aligned with one of the findings of the project, which has constantly emerged in the investigation, that is the importance for the young people of nature, whether to see it from distance or experiment to be in green spaces or near the sea.
The idea of a third space (a safe space away from home and school/work) is also something that has commonly been mentioned in research by young people as a crucial element for youth mental health. Creative arts and spaces for young people only two of the elements that are solutions to help young people in their mental health.
