Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Health Awareness Week (15 – 21 May) arrives this year a short time after we shared the results of our latest National Survey. The statistics that came out of the survey make the case for Mental Health Awareness Week. We asked young people and parents/carers if they’d been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and 54 percent of young people and 70 percent of parents and carers said they had . Backing those results up, 79 percent of professionals felt that the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns had a negative impact on the young people, parents and families they support.

You don’t have to be Dr Freud to know that conflict within the home can, if unresolved, grow to cast a shadow over both parents’/carers’ and their young people’s mental health. SCCR was set up – the clue is in the title – to facilitate conflict resolution within the family home. If you or someone you know feels that their mental health is suffering because of arguments with loved ones, our website hosts pages full of tips and advice on how to handle disputes caused by a variety of reasons, from feeling you’re not being respected to drugs and alcohol abuse. This advice is tailored towards young people, parents and carers, and professionals who work with families in conflict.

MHAW’s theme this year is ‘anxiety’, a subject many people are familiar with, personally. Anxiety is common, a mental health problem many if not most of us will experience at some point.

We’re running a free online workshop, ‘Anxious and Afraid’ on Wednesday, 17 May, starting at 12.30pm and lasting an hour, which explores anxiety and stress. Those who take part will learn more about the science behind anxiety; we find if we can unpack what exactly is going on in our minds when we’re anxious, we can place the feeling in a perspective that can ultimately improve individual wellbeing. If you’d like to enrol for this free workshop, click here.

Members of the SCCR team will also be in Oban on Friday, 19 May, where we shall be present at Oban High School. In the morning, we shall be manning a stall along with other organisations whose work touches on the themes of Mental Health Awareness Week. We’ll bring with us posters, pamphlets, badges and pens, and will be ready and willing to talk you through our work and website. Just ask if you’re going to be there.

In the afternoon, we’re delighted that the school has asked us to give a presentation on our work to students. If you’re attending the school on Friday, as a teacher or student, do say hullo. We’re always happy to talk through our work.

Finally, watch our social media across the week as we share resources that can help reduce stress and, hopefully, support mental health.