Watch: Realising it’s not just me

Thursday, 15 April 2021

Lauren is a 20 year old health and social care student from Clondalkin.

When her anger and anxiety started to impact on her life Lauren decided to go to a Jigsaw service for support. However, she worried what people around her would think. Once she started telling her family and friends about her mental health, Lauren realised ‘it’s not just me’. We all need help and support at different times. Here, Lauren talks about her experience of going to Jigsaw.

Lauren, 20

Service User

lt was only when I had the coping skills and everything was better again I realised that now going back I probably would be more open about it.

We all have mental health

Our mental health is an essential part of us. Our mental health includes our thoughts and feelings, how we are getting on with other people and managing our day-to-day life. Learn more about what we mean by the term ‘mental health’.

At Jigsaw, we believe that all of us will experience ups and downs with our mental health. In a recent study of over 19,000 young people in Ireland showed this. It found that 58% of 18-25 year-olds experienced feelings of depression and anxiety. Often, we can find ways to cope and manage these feelings on our own. However, at different times we may need to access support to help.

Thanks to young people like Lauren, who are willing to share their stories, the stigma around accessing mental health support is reducing all the time. Find out more about Jigsaw services here.