What is mental health?
Mental health is the health of our minds. This includes our emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It affects our feelings, thoughts, mood and behaviour. As well as how we deal with life’s ups and downs, the choices we make and our relationships with people.
What do I do if I’m worried about my mental health?
It’s always OK to ask for help.
If you are worried about your mental health, you should try and seek help early. A good first step is to talk with an adult that you trust, such as parent, teacher or you GP, and let them know how you are feeling. Try to be as open as possible so that the trusted adult is able to have some real understanding of how you are feeling.
It’s not uncommon for people to find it hard to discuss their mental health with others so if you’re struggling you might find it helpful to try the following.
- Make sure you have plenty of time to talk with the adult that you trust
- Ask your GP for a double appointment, so that you have enough time to let your doctor know how you are feeling
- Take a friend or relative to the appointment. They may be able to help you explain how you are feeling to the doctor and/or reduce your anxiety around opening up.
- Write down what you would like to say before the appointment. This could include notes of your symptoms and questions you would like to ask.