Good mental health allows us to cope with life’s ups and downs. No matter how difficult life can feel at times, there is a range of local NHS and voluntary support services available for children and young people to support their mental health.
Tracey Faraday-Drake, Director, NHS Frimley, said “It can be difficult to know if there is something upsetting a child or young person, but when these changes last for a long time or are significantly affecting them, it might be time to get professional help. NHS Frimley has a range of local NHS and voluntary support services available for children and young people to support their mental health and emotional wellbeing. Support is available from a range of children mental health specialists, and includes face-to-face and virtual sessions, advice via text and phone lines.
We know that due to the increasing number of children needing support with their mental health, demand on some NHS services is high. To ensure children and young people receive support more quickly, services like Kooth offer a fantastic early intervention and prevention service. Across our region, we also offer 24/7 phone lines for children and young people in crisis, to support situations where they feel they need urgent help.”
Dr Katie Simpson, NHS Frimley’s Clinical Lead for Mental Health, Dementia, Learning Disability and Neurodiversity, commented: “As a parent/carer or someone who works with children, there are some key signs to look out for to recognise children and young people’s mental health difficulties. These include significant changes in behaviour; ongoing difficulty sleeping; withdrawing from social situations; not wanting to do things they usually like and possibly self-harming or neglecting themselves.”
If you're worried about a child or need advice and support for coping with anything affecting your child's emotional, mental or physical health, please visit Frimley Healthier Together website for advice and details of local support services.