- Area:
- Wales
- Programme:
- Mental Health Matters
- Release date:
- 9 4 2008
A major piece of research commissioned by the Big Lottery Fund has made key recommendations to tackle the barriers faced by young people with mental health problems in rural Wales.
As part of its More than a Number campaign to raise awareness about mental health issues in Wales and to support its £15 million Mental Health Matters grant programme, the Big Lottery Fund commissioned Mind Cymru to conduct a study into young people’s experiences of mental health services in rural Wales.
The study, the results of which were announced today as part of Mental Health Action Week, aimed to identify the barriers experienced by 18-40 year olds in the most rural parts of Wales. It looked at the potential for engaging non-mental health community organisations to support the mental health and wellbeing of the young people they came into contact with. The research was conducted in Gwynedd, Powys and Ceredigion between July and September 2007. It gained new insights from people with direct experience of mental distress and from people who work in this area, as well as from non-mental health organisations.
Where gaps in service provision is concerned, the study showed a lack of mental health promotion at all levels including schools, employers, further education and GP practices. As part of the study, respondents also identified some of the barriers to accessing mental health services. Stigma caused the most concern, and a lack of correct information about mental distress was highlighted as a significant factor. It was claimed that the media fosters negative attitudes that then influence the views of other young people. Significantly, young people also experience negative attitudes from professionals in different agencies.
There is a reluctance to go to the GP for support, particularly in smaller communities. One respondent was concerned that they knew medical centre staff and were fearful of news travelling around their village through gossip. Some respondents indicated that families are often reluctant to accept that a family member was suffering from mental distress, further compounding the problems of suffers. Some of the other barriers cited included short term funding for local voluntary sector mental health projects, poor communication between the agencies that have a role in providing support and the isolation that often results from living in a rural area. This isolation is compounded by poor local transport links. It was indicated that mental health promotion and education should begin in schools.
Highlighting the barriers faced on a day-to-day basis, one young person who participated in the research said: “Mental distress is something that is going to be present for my entire life. I have experienced stigma through intolerance and ignorance and in rural Wales there is a lack of information about what services are out there – you have to go looking for it. The area is not good for mental health services as there are limited choices because of limited resources and so many needing them.
“Young people’s problems are not seen as serious as adults with family stresses. Young people do not acknowledge they have a problem – they don’t realise it! There is not enough mental health awareness in schools. I didn’t know I had depression until I left school. Most of the time you can feel like you are suffering on your own.”
An action research approach was adopted and the findings include six key recommendations for change which are: the introduction of a national mental health awareness programme to be rolled out to the public; follow up those organisations who expressed a desire to become more involved in mental health work and piloting some specific pieces of work on a local level; use existing service models already delivering services in the community to build on such as the Youth Service; review current advocacy arrangements for young people and implement strategies to ensure young people who experience mental distress have the support of an advocate to help them negotiate a service; adopt a community development approach to explore opportunities within communities, particularly within smaller populated communities, to build capacity to develop local responses to identified need; explore creative ways of working with young people.
Elaborating on the findings, Influence and Change Manager for Mind Cymru, Ruth Coombs, said: "From our perspective one of the most promising findings of the research is that ninety five percent of non-mental health organisations consulted wanted to become more involved in mental health and wellbeing in rural Wales. This confirms our position that mental health and wellbeing is everybody's business".
Commenting on the study, Big Lottery Fund Wales Committee Member and Chair of the Mental Health Matters Committee, Barbara Wilding, said: “We hope that the research will promote discussion about mental health provision for young people in rural Wales and the role that all agencies may be able to provide in helping people to enjoy improved mental heath and well-being. One in four of us is likely to experience mental health problems at some point during our lives so it is important to recognise the issue and realise that all those people are more than just a number.”
As well as adding to existing learning, it is hoped that the organisations that participated in the research will act on the recommendations and findings. A conference planned for June 2008 in Aberystwyth will explore in detail some of the issues and key findings raised in the research.
To find out more about the Rural Research project and to organise interview, photo and filming opportunities, please contact Oswyn Hughes at the BIG press office by e- mail or on the numbers below.
For further information about the Big Lottery Fund and how your group can apply for funding, log onto the Big Lottery Fund website www.biglotteryfund.org.uk and use the ‘Wales’ specific search facility. Alternatively, you can telephone the Big Lottery Fund office on 01686 611 700.
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 02920 678 207
Out of hours contact: 07760 171 431
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102 030
Textphone: 0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.
Notes to Editors
- In Wales, the Big Lottery Fund is rolling out close to £1 million a week in Lottery good cause money, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across Wales most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
- The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
- Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £20 billion has now been raised and more than 280,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
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