“Psycho? Schitzo? Nutter? Mental?” That’s the fiction, here are the facts:

Did you know: 10 to 20% of children and adolescents have psychological problems. That’s nearly a fifth! So what’s “normal”? Mental illness can affect anyone. About one in 4 people will suffer with some sort of mental health problem in the course of a year.

What is mental health?

Mental health is a person’s ability to deal with everyday life. In order to do this a person needs to have healthy thoughts, feelings and behaviour. However sometimes certain things happen that affect a persons ability to think and feel and behave in a healthy way.

Early signs that someone may be experiencing a mental health problem are:

• mood change
• loss of appetite or eating more than usual
• changes in sleep patterns
• changes in levels of energy, creativity or sociability
• hearing or seeing things that other people do not

Seeking help and advice early can prevent problems becoming more serious for the person affected. People can and do find ways of coping, and can get support from many sources including family, friends, their work, others with similar experiences and care services.

(This information has been supplied by CAMHS, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service)