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The impact of parents’ mental health

A person’s mental health can affect those close to them. It can be difficult for a young person if one or more of their parents are struggling.

This might be because they’re worried about them, or because the parent is not able to do the usual stuff they do.

If this is something you’re going through, here is an outline supports and other ways to help.

Ask Jigsaw: Scared about CAMHS

I’m due to see CAMHs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) about my anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide, I’m scared they’ll do things like take me away from my parents, what should I do? How do I go about it?

Hi there,

First of all, well done for taking the steps to get support. CAMHS services around the country do a great job of supporting young people to mind their mental health. This video will tell you a bit more about CAMHS and what it is for.

As you identify, it can sometimes feel scary when you are going somewhere new for the first time. Therefore, this can make it difficult to open up about what you are feeling. However, be assured that everyone at CAMHS will want to support you as best they can.

The impact of alcohol on mental health

Ireland has a reputation as being a country of drinkers. It can be difficult to socialise without feeling pressured to having a drink, or three. Some people use alcohol as a crutch to help get to sleep or deal with stress, especially during the pandemic where those experiences are more common.

We know from our recently published My World Survey, young people who do drink are consuming amounts that are damaging to their health.

There are many reasons to choose to drink alcohol. We may feel more relaxed or sociable, enjoy the taste, or other people are drinking. Whatever your reason for drinking, be aware of the amount of alcohol you consume. Make sure you know how it can impact negatively on your mental and physical health.

In this article, you will find:

When do I need to get help for my mental health?

There are lots of ways to think about and describe mental health. We all have mental health and when we face various challenges it can be impacted.

We can start to find things difficult and may wonder what to do next. There are many different types of support out there to help us look after mental health. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach.

Getting support

Not everyone who experiences challenges with their mental health will need to access a service for support. If something is causing you to feel stressed, talk to a good friend, family member or a trusted adult. This can be enough to get you through.

Being anxious in social situations

Sometimes, being around people can be nerve-racking. Many of us experience anxiety in social situations.

Having to speak in public, or walking into a room of people you don’t know, or performing in front of a class can make the most confident person feel anxious.

Feeling very self-conscious in social situations is more common than you think. Many young people who come to Jigsaw tell us they can find being around classmates, strangers or even friends quite difficult. If this sounds familiar to you, know that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here we’ll explore why you might feel that way and what you can do about it. In this article you will find:

 

Dealing with a breakup

Whether you broke up with someone, they broke up with you, or the decision was mutual, feelings can be tough. We can feel sadness, loss, guilt, or anger.

Sometimes we can be upset because we’re confused and not sure what happened. Other times it can even be a relief.

It doesn’t matter how long it lasted or how serious it was, it matters what the relationship meant to you. How you felt about that person and how it ended will impact how you react to dealing with breaking up.

Consent and sex

‘Consent’ is another word for ‘agreeing to’. We use ‘consent’ a lot when we talk about sex. In that context, consent means both people fully understand and agree to what they’re about to do.

It is really about communication, respect and awareness of the other person.

In this article, we’ll cover what you need to know about consent and sex.

How do I access Jigsaw?

Are you aged 12 to 25 and looking to get one-to-one support with your mental health? If so, your local Jigsaw service can help.

Getting in touch

Start the process by calling or emailing your local Jigsaw service yourself. Your parent or guardian, or teacher, doctor, or youth worker can also take that first step, contacting the service for you with your permission.

If you are under 18, Jigsaw requires that an adult consent for you to attend. That means we need to check with your parent or guardian and let them know you want to attend our service.

However, it does not mean we have to tell them why you want to come to Jigsaw. We will discuss what we can keep confidential with you when you come in.

Once you get in touch, a member of staff will ask you for some basic details. If you both decide Jigsaw is the right service for you, they will organise an appointment for you with a Jigsaw Clinician.

If your situation is more complicated, they might arrange for a Jigsaw Clinician to call you back. This will be to discuss things in a bit more detail before deciding on the next steps.

What is a Jigsaw service?

Jigsaw is a mental health service. But more specifically, it is an early intervention service for young people at primary care level.

Cyberbullying

In the last few years, cyberbullying has become an umbrella term for lots of negative behaviour online.

What is cyberbullying?

Essentially cyberbullying is bullying online, and it can take many different forms. Sometimes it is easily recognisable and others not so much.

It can be 24/7 with seemingly nowhere to get away from it. One of the drawbacks of the connectivity in our pockets is we’re always accessible.

Generally, cyberbullying doesn’t happen in isolation. It tends to be a part of traditional bullying. The bully is often someone known to the person on the receiving end of it. This is even if the activity seems to be done anonymously.

Cyberbullying can take obvious forms such as name calling, putting someone down or abusive comments on posts, images or videos. Then there are less obvious forms, only really felt and understood by the person on the receiving end of it.

What is mental health?

Mental health is something we all have. It is an essential part of all of us. It includes our thoughts and feelings, how we are getting on with other people and how we manage day-to-day life.

In this article, you will find:

What is ‘good mental health’?

Having good mental health is about feeling positive about ourselves, or sometimes just good enough. It’s about being able to do the things that matter to us. Just as everyone has physical health, everyone also has mental health.

The state of our mental health doesn’t stay constant. It changes, often in response to things that are happening in our life.