1 in 6 children and young people in Teesside have bad mental health
People are being encouraged to open up as part of Children's Mental Health Week
Last updated 1st May 2025
We are hearing 1 in 6 children and young people in Teesside are suffering from emotional wellbeing and mental health.
It comes as many are being encouraged to open up, speak out and seek support from friends, family and charities as part of Children's Mental Health Week.
Sara Mirsalehi, a service manager at the InsideOut Mental Health Support Team in Middlesbrough and Redcar, said: "As a service we very much believe in intervention and prevention. We're hoping to raise awareness and we're running a lot of whole school approaches and activities, such as assemblies because we often think about we need to bear in mind those children and young people who are quieter and they don't get noticed.
"Majority of our cases and young people that come to access our support service are suffering with anxiety with low mood, they're suffering with depression, trauma and we deal with children and young people that are being bullied in school and bullying is the cause of their mental distress.
"It's worth to mention that two years of pandemic exacerbated a lot of mental and emotional wellbeing of children and young people. What we as a service believe is that we need to make sure in people and that children feel supported in a way that they can go to a trusted adult to get that support that they need.
"On a weekly basis we work very closely in schools and with schools to create that accessibility to make sure that they can reach out to speak to professionals regarding to the challenges that they're facing.
"You have to remember that children are part of the family household. They're aware of what's happening so poverty and the cost-of-living has had an impact on children's wellbeing. The fact that they're worried about their future, their jobs and what's going to happen to them, so I think quite a lot of factors that are impacting adults and their mental health and wellbeing is also represented in children and young people.
"We also work with a family unit so we work with the parents, mum, dad or whoever it is within that young person's life with care and responsibility to make sure that we equip them with the skills that they need to support the children."
You can visit InsideOut's website here or follow them on Instagram or Facebook @InsideOutMHST
63 year-old Lawrence Butterfield, also known as Lol, is a retired mental health nurse in Guisborough with lived experience of depression and anxiety.
He says he is worried about his grandchildren and the pressure they will grow up with: "Social media makes it easier for people who may lack that confidence and social skill to be able to communicate more, but the downside to that is that there's been an increase in bullying on social media.
"Whereas people would be bullied in the playground and then go home to their safehaven of their homes where they live, now unfortunately you go online and they can be bullied online.
"Social media's been hijacked by bullies and people use social media to bully other people, other young people and not a lot of work really has been done I think to try and eradicate that.
"In a way I suppose it's a bit of a contradiction really isn't it? On the one hand it's supposed to open up friendships and encourage new relationships yet at the same time, it can also end in bullying and isolation for a lot of young people. It's quite sad."