Teesside mental health charity supporting children as young as five
InsideOut say needs and demand is growing
A children's mental health charity in Teesside say they're supporting children as young as five.
It's as this week is Children's Mental Health Week which was started in 2015 to give a voice to all children and young people and to raise awareness of children and young people's mental health.
Sara Mirsalehi, service manager at Inside Out in Middlesbrough and Redcar, said: "We see an exacerbation in the number of referrals that we receive on a weekly basis from a wide range of sources including GPs, mental health nurses, schools, education settings, public sectors and social services.
"It's good that people are reaching out and their mental health concerns are identified and signposted to the right support. However, there's no walkaway from the fact that the number of referrals and needs for accessing emotional wellbeing and mental health support has increased and we see a lot of younger age groups seeking support.
"We always try and look at alternative therapeutic interventions such as play therapy. What's important to know is, within the younger age groups, it's often more impactful when you engage with parents, carers and guardians because they're the ones who could look at the tools and techniques that could help their young people feel better.
"The signs and symptoms of not being able to communicate and make others around them aware of their feelings is if they're in reception or nursery and they present themselves in anger or behaviour challenges like hitting themselves, scratching their arms or picking their nails.
"We see a lot of families seeking diagnosis for ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions so the list is long, but the most important thing to notice is that other services are available in both localities so just reach out and make sure that you're not on your own."
You can find your nearest mental health support service on the Hub of Hope website.