Occasionally there might be times when you need to access support from services or professionals to help you with your mental health.
Self-harm is when you deliberately hurt yourself; this could be cutting, burning, pinching, poisoning, hitting or punching things or injuring yourself on purpose. There are several reasons why a young person might do this and It is important you tell an adult that you trust if you are self-harming. You can find more information about self-harm in the links below.
If you are worried about your mental health or think something is not right, you should seek help or advice from a health professional such as your family doctor or a trusted adult such as a parent, teacher/ tutor or support worker. This could include feelings like anger, low mood, worry or distressing thoughts which don’t go away or you are having difficulty around eating or body image (how you feel about the way you look).
Your local mental health service for young people is accessed through YOUnited, and requires a referral from a ‘professional’ e.g. your GP or trusted adult at school - https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/search/service/younited-195/
Sixth form and regional colleges will have a designated person to help students with emotional wellbeing (often known as the ‘Designated Lead for Mental Health). Some schools and colleges have ‘Mental Health Support Teams’ attached to them. Ask your mental health lead if your school is one of them.
More information about mental health at work can be found here: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/how-support-mental-health-work