Young people's stories
Stigma Video
This video may not be suitable for those who are hard of hearing.
In all our children and young people's (CYP) sevices we are committed to working in partnership with young people. We support them to share their personal story and their experiences of mental health difficulties.
In a collaborative project with the University of Lincoln we worked with young people who have used CAMHS to create the above video around their experiences of stigma, and their hopes for the future. We hope that this video will raise awareness of mental health stigma to help other young people, and also help train future professionals currently studying at the University of Lincoln.
It's Good To Talk
This video may not be suitable for those who are hard of hearing.
Rather than keeping any difficulties or feeling bottled up, it’s really important to talk about your feelings and any problems or difficulties you may be feeling. Talking can be a way to cope with or solve a problem you’ve been carrying around in your head for a while.
Above you will see an animation video we co produced with members of the Lincolnshire Youth Council and Lincolnshire Priory Academy around the importance and the value of talking to people around you.
Ellen - Me and My Autism
This video may not be suitable for those who are hard of hearing.
Ellen has herself accessed Child and Adolescent Mental health Services (CAMHS) and wants to share her experiences living with Autism and how the condition affects her life. She talks about common misconceptions about autism and how better understanding of the conditions will help reduce stigma.
George - Overcoming OCD
This video may not be suitable for those who are hard of hearing.
George has accessed Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and wants to share his experiences of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). George hopes that, through sharing his experience, he could help other young people who may be struggling feel more hopeful about the future.
George's mother has also written about her experiences of supporting George through therapy in the hope that this will be a help to parents/carers.
You can read Lisa's story below.
Lisa's story
My name is Lisa, and I am George’s Mum.
George has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). He first showed signs when he was 6 years old, following the death of his Granma. George’s OCD revolved around germs and the risk of contaminating his father and I, in case we got sick and died.
We took him to our GP, who referred him to CAMHS, and after a few months of weekly visits with a therapist to talk about his worries and fears, George started to cope a lot better and it was as if his OCD disappeared - his father and I thought it had gone.
In the summer before George went into year 6, when he was 10, we went to Alton Towers as a family. After someone touched his little finger, his OCD came rushing back.
He turned into a little boy that panicked over every little thing. If someone touched him or if he touched something that might have germs on it, he would want to wash his hands and would ask for constant reassurance.
He constantly washed his hands, changed his clothes several times a day, and wouldn’t walk on anything in his bare feet. He even struggled to touch family members. He wouldn’t go into supermarkets or busy places; school was the hardest, even though he went to a small primary school.
He became very unhappy and started to isolate himself. It was very distressing to watch this happen, but it was at this point he was referred to CAMHS again, for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Initially, I was very skeptical that this would make a difference. I couldn’t imagine how anything could help as he had changed so much and had become such an insecure worried young man, who needed constant reassurance. He needed to be with either his father or I and would constantly ask “what if” about the other parent.
When he started his CBT Therapy, it was amazing but hard. I was with him for every session and hearing him talk about some of his worries was difficult as no 11 year old should ever worry about the things he did!
His therapist Lucy, was patient and calm and over the sessions I could see a change in him. This was not easy, and when the exposure part started, it was very hard for me, so my husband took the lead role, however after several weeks I started to feel stronger and I could take more of a lead role in George’s therapy again.
I’m sure every mother will agree, that it is not in our nature to intentionally cause our children stress and upset, but with the support of Lucy, George managed to overcome about 85% of his fears.
He has now finished his CBT Therapy and he is a different child. I am still surprised at the progress he has made. He is now a happy child again and he copes much better in busy places. We can now go out to eat as a family and to the cinema - it’s great! We know George may never be completely free from OCD, but the CBT course has definitely given him tools to cope much better. He does have small glitches now and then, and we know that stressful situations such as doing his
GCSE’s and his sisters going off to university may be hard, but as a family, we feel better able to support him, and he now has many tools to help himself.
He is just so much happier and confident - it’s lovely to see.
I truly believe George wouldn’t be where he is today without the support of CAMHS. Thank you CAMHS.
'Lived Experience' Blogs and Resources
We recognise the value of young people or parents and carers with lived experience of mental health and recovery sharing their experiences to support others who may be going through a difficult time with their mental health.
Here you will find some blogs and booklet written by people with lived experience that we hope will help you.
Blogs
"Why Mental Health Awareness and Early Intervention Matters"- Katie (18)
"Times are Tough Enough"- Becky (21)
"School and Self-care"- Shannon (22)
Resources
KiKi the Worry Monster Storybook
This brilliant book was written by a young person alongside her Healthy Minds Practitioner. The storyline features everything she learnt about managing worries in her sessions.
We are aware that this document may not be accessible for all. If you need this document in a different format, please email lpft.communications@nhs.net