Mental health: How To Get Help

We hear about ‘mental health’ all the time, on social media, in school/college or from friends or family but do you know how to go about getting help if you or someone else suffers from a mental health issue? 

I ddarllen yr erthygl hon yn Gymraeg, clicia yma

Here at Meic we have put together a quick help guide, explaining what mental health is and how to get help.

When we mention mental health a lot of people start to think of some sort of mental illness but in fact we all have ‘mental health’, this is how we feel about ourselves and others around us, our ability to form friendships and relationships with others and also how we develop emotionally in our mind.

When we are mentally healthy we feel strong in ourselves to deal with anything life throws at us but sometimes different things affect how we feel and think, and this is when we might face problems with our mental health.

We all have times when we feel upset, worried, anxious and find some things hard to deal with but it’s important to recognise when we or someone close to use needs some help.

If someone experiences difficult feelings, worries or anxieties where it affects their daily life, for example if it stops them from going to school, eat and sleep or go out with friends/family for a long time this might be the time that they need that helping hand with their mental health.

How to get help:

The most important thing you can do is talk to someone close to you that you trust about how you feel or your worries about someone else. It’s always good to have someone you can turn to for some support and they can help you decide what to do next. If you don’t feel you have someone you can talk to, you can always contact us here at Meic.

There’s lots of support you can access, either through talking therapies (support groups, counsellors, psychotherapists), specialist mental health services such as CAMHS or psychiatric units and some mental health conditions can be treated with medication from your GP.

• You can usually access a counsellor through your school/college or GP. A counsellor will talk to you about what’s going on for you. You can also access different talking therapies/other services through your GP and this will be discussed when you go and see them.
• CAMHS are the Child and Adolescent Mental health service here in Wales. Through CAMHS you can access specialist mental health support through different forms either talking therapies or medical support from mental health workers. Any professional working with a young person can make a referral for an assessment so this could be a teacher in school or your doctor.
• Medication: some medications can help to manage symptoms of the more serious mental health conditions, your GP will decide if medication is the best option for you after discussing more with you about how you feel.

Mental health problems are very common and 1 in 10 young people will have a mental health condition affecting their lives on a daily basis and therefore need specialist help. Getting help early is vital as it can prevent any condition from getting worse so please don’t be scared to ask for help.

If you’re unsure if you need help, or are worried about someone else but unsure if they need help, feel free to contact us here at Meic, we can discuss and offer you advice on your situation to make sure you take the next step to look after yourself/others.