What's the problem?

"There's been a significant rise in the number of young people suffering from a mental health problem over the last 10 years in the UK, but also around the world," says Dominique Thompson, a general practitioner who is also a young people's mental health expert.

"Then along came COVID-19 and really had this huge extra impact on them," she tells CGTN Europe.

According to the Centre for Mental Health, one in six school-aged children in the UK has a mental health problem. This is an alarming rise from one in 10 in 2004 and one in nine in 2017, as shown by the data collated by NHS Digital, 2020.

Common mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, are increasing amongst 16 to 24 year olds. About 26 percent of young women have them, three times more than the 9.1 percent of young men (McManus et al, 2016).

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What has young people's lived experience been? 

"I've been fighting my demons for years, but I don't give in now and I talk back," reflects 25-year-old Deepanshi Gulati.

Gulati started Rain On Me in 2018 because she wanted to meet people who were going through similar struggles as her and "just wanted to feel understood and heard."

Rain On Me provides a safe space, in the form of a support group, for those needing to talk about their daily struggles and stresses affecting their mental health. It aims to open a dialogue about mental health in a "medical-free" zone.

'Not an easy ride'

In 2018, Gulati was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and general anxiety disorder (GAD).

"I had been living with it for more than a decade and that was not an easy ride at all," she says.

"There was this fear in my mind that my parents already have so much to do and I didn't want to scare them with my deepest, darkest thoughts that were going on in my head 24/7."

She had no inkling it would end up consuming her life. 

It started at the age of 13 when she moved to the UK from India. She found herself in a new environment with new friends, at a new school. 

"I think all those things took priority over what was actually happening with me mentally," says Gulati.

She did not confide in her friends, either. The fear of being judged stopped her from sharing her feelings, it stops a lot of young people from speaking up.

"I was too afraid to take up too much space in other people's minds, other people's lives," explains the mental health first-aider. "The people who really care for you will never think that you're too much." 

She says the first step should be to validate your own feelings so you can decide what to do with them. She found speaking up to be one of the most liberating things she has done.

She has overcome her fears, but stress still gets to her; however, she is now alert to the physical signs that indicate her mental health is taking a dip. 

"It's just little things that build up because you don't talk about it and then eventually you just burst, you just explode," she says.

'It feels heavy'

Hannah Belfon, 21, is a mental health and social care professional. She has struggled with mental health problems since she was 13 but was officially diagnosed at 18.

As a child, you can be diagnosed with juvenile anxiety and depression but a concrete diagnosis is only given at the age of 18. There is an average 10-year delay between young people displaying initial symptoms and getting help.

"I think that's the struggle for a lot of people," Belfon tells CGTN. "You can have all these issues going on when you're younger but you can't actually get a diagnosis until you're older – things may be better or worse by then."

Her diagnosis of depression and anxiety was a major disappointment for her. She had dreamt of joining the army since she was a kid.

"A major barrier in the army is any diagnosed mental health issue. It was like my future prospects just disappeared," she recalls. 

She found it really tough but was fortunate to have the right support to see her through it. A school friend suggested going into social care, which Belfon initially dismissed but soon signed up for a training course.

"I did six weeks in a nursing home for people with severe learning disabilities and epilepsy," she recalls. "I just fell in love with social care, absolutely fell in love."

It also aided her recovery. "When you're kind of inside your own head, you don't really notice the changes," she says. "For me, it was a very intense, long year of taking medication, talking to people, making sure that I'm alright."

She knew she'd made strides since 2012, the year her mother was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer. 

"We thought we were going to lose her, which is quite a hard thing for a 13-year-old to have to deal with," she explains. "That was definitely the catalyst for me."

It was the first time the intensity of it all dawned on her. She knew she needed to talk to someone. "I was very well at hiding it and one day I just blurted out what was going on to my teacher," she says.

Children and young people's mental health facts published by the Centre for Mental Health show that two-thirds of children with a mental health problem have had contact with professional services. Teachers were the most commonly trusted – with 48.5 percent of affected children confiding in them.

"I can remember every single day I went to school, there'd be an argument because I just didn't want to go," Belfon says. 

"I just wanted to hide away and cry. I didn't want to have to try and concentrate in lessons when all I could think about was just how unbelievably rubbish everything was. 

"You know, when you're carrying such a big burden, you can almost feel the weight of it. It feels heavy, everything you do feels heavy. Breathing feels heavy."

For some, it can feel too heavy to carry, and too much to carry on. Dawn Irwin shares her now 21-year-old daughter's long struggle with mental health.

"When my daughter got to 17, she hit a real low point. The pressure of A-level exams took its toll on her and social media played a big part," she tells CGTN. "She'd tell me she didn't want to be alive anymore. 

"She'd be sitting in her bedroom crying not knowing why. This continued for a couple of years."

In the UK, suicide is the biggest cause of mortality for people under 35. Suicide rates have been increasing in recent years, according to Office for National Statistics, 2020.

"I'd make her go to school and make her do things. But as a parent, you're not sure if you're pushing them too hard or if you should leave them, it's a very difficult balancing act," says Irwin.

'It was swept under the carpet'

She first noticed the signs when her daughter was very young: She had panic attacks when she was just six. 

But back then, like a lot of people – including health professionals, whom she consulted – she did not know enough about mental health to get her diagnosed.

"Every time she had to change, even when she went from Reception to Year One, she was struck down with shingles, which is a very young age to get shingles."

She continued to suffer from mental health issues. "When she was 10 or 11, she'd start to cough a little bit and then go completely blue. It would start on her lips and she couldn't breathe. I'd have to sit with her and calm her down. 

"We didn't really know much about mental health. We had everything done and it was swept under the carpet."

How have COVID-19 restrictions impacted young people?

"The goalposts kept moving. When you make everything uncertain, it makes people feel very anxious," says Dominique Thompson.

The triggers for anxiety in young people during the pandemic have ranged from catching COVID-19 to academic uncertainty, challenging family situations and financial worries. 

Thompson says isolation and loneliness have also been significant problems. As humans, we need to be connected with others and being alone affects our mood, sleep, physical health and relationships.

Thompson says she really feels for the young people because "they've had one of the hardest times emotionally of the pandemic.

"The older generation has taken the worst hit physically," she says. "But our young generation is the one who has had to and will for the longest time carry that [emotional] burden forward. 

MQ Mental Health Research has undertaken a study to improve our understanding of the full impact of the pandemic on the mental health and long-term wellbeing of young people. The charity is focused on creating a world where mental illness is understood, effectively treated and ultimately prevented.

Thompson also highlights the role that social media has played in young people's lives during the pandemic. She says it has made it possible for people to connect and helped get over the boredom.

"But it doesn't give the same quality of relationships as face-to-face, human-to-human contact. So it's a poor second," she says.

She says although some young people have kept going and developed their own coping mechanisms, the pressure cannot be good for them in the long run. 

"I don't think any of us knows if they'll feel overwhelmed or whether getting back to normality will lessen their anxiety and lift their mood," she says.

A mixed experience

"I actually loved the first lockdown, it was a blessing in disguise for me. I really needed that slow pace," acknowledges Deepanshi Gulati. "I was going full speed, not being self-aware, not being present in the moment."

But the UK's recent lockdown has been challenging for her. "I've noticed my thoughts overwhelming me sometimes," she says. "It's also had a very serious effect on my mental and physical health."

On balance, she feels she has gained more than she has lost.

For Hannah Belfon, the pandemic got off to a difficult start. In January 2020, a close friend of hers had committed suicide.

"When it first started, I was grieving. I still am, but it's definitely a lot better," she says.

Her mental health deteriorated. "I just had to decide work can't be my priority, I need to get back to doing just the basics and start recovering again." 

Belfon also has OCD, so on first hearing about COVID-19, she was concerned it would trigger her health and contamination anxiety. She thinks it is a good thing that hand sanitizers are now readily available.

"It was this invisible thing, you can do everything to prevent it like I did but I still caught it on Christmas Day," she says.

She eventually started to enjoy her time in lockdown. "It was the first time I'd spent quality time with my dad since I was a child and I just thrived off it," she says. "I loved that we were all just a family again."

Meanwhile, Dawn Irwin was worried her daughter's mental health may take a turn for the worse when the pandemic first started. She was right to be concerned: Her daughter's anxiety was exacerbated due to coronavirus. 

She was terrified of leaving the house and would have a bath three times a day. She'd refuse to go to the shops to buy essentials and would wash the bought items several times before using them.

It also led to her first panic attack in about 15 years but much to her mother's relief, she is in a much better place now. She has learnt to cope, to be on her own and not rely on the company of others to distract her from her thoughts. 

"She's eating a lot better and working out. Hopefully, she will continue with these habits after lockdown ends," says Irwin.

"Sometimes you need to step back to see perspective. I think she's just realized that she had some very unhealthy habits that perhaps were not helping the situation."

What support do young people need?

Belfon found talking to her teachers, family and friends helped her but she recognizes that not everyone has a support network they can lean on.

"Friends and family are the best help you can get," says the 21-year-old. "Just being able to sit down, have a cup of tea and just put the world to rights." 

Having navigated multiple mental health issues herself, Gulati says it takes a lot of strength to speak out and put your trust in someone.

"Honour that trust, just listen, because they're not looking for advice. They just want someone to validate their feelings," she suggests.

It is a suggestion that Thompson echoes. She says the three things that anyone can do without undergoing any special training are: listen, believe and give hope. 

"Sometimes, we need a light at the end of the tunnel, a little glimmer of hope that things will get better," she says.

Irwin advocates an honest approach and to normalize the conversation about mental health issues.

"Just try and embrace it because it's a part of who they are," she says. "So when we try to change that and deny the problem, we're telling them it's not OK."

Animation and video editing: James Sandifer

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