A symposium on Youth Mental Health and Stigma to be held at University of Nottingham on 12 December 2014

NOTTINGHAM, 10-12-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Seventy five per cent of all mental health disorders have their onset between the years of 12 and 25. One in 10 young people will experience a mental health problem, most commonly depression and anxiety, at some point in their young lives.

Mental illness in youth is associated with significant physical, psychological and developmental consequences including obesity, low educational attainment, bullying and problematic peer relationships. Mental health stigma has a detrimental impact on young people in seeking help and accessing support and services.

To highlight the need for public health initiatives and interventions to combat stigma associated with youth mental health The University of Nottingham — in collaboration with the University of Greenwich, Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford Academic Health Science Network and the University College Dublin and National University of Ireland — is holding a symposium on Youth Mental Health and Stigma.

Dr Maria Michail, Principal Investigator of the Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing project and Senior Research Fellow in Youth Mental Health in the School of Health Sciences, said: “One in 10 young people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. The impact on young people and their families is enormous and catalysed by the stigma and negative stereotypes associated with having a mental illness. Stigma and discrimination is still very prevalent in our society and prevents young people from talking about their problems and accessing support.”

Stigma and prejudice
This symposium — Stigma and prejudice: Advance in theory and research — is the outcome of an international collaboration between the UK and Ireland to promote the development of innovative, youth-oriented, stigma-free mental health services. The University of Nottingham’s School of Health Sciences is carrying out pioneering research in the field of youth mental health and well-being and leading this collaboration.

The symposium is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council(ESRC) is the first in a series of seminars across the UK and Ireland on youth mental health and well-being. It will take place on Friday 12 December 2014, Room C33, Exchange Building, Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham, NG7 2QL from 9.30am to 4.30pm.

The speakers include Sarah Brennan, Chief Executive of YoungMinds, Dr Keon West, Goldsmiths University of London, Dr Helen Stain, University of Durham and Dr Kathy Greenwood, University of Sussex.

Dr Michail added: “Young people participating in our symposium will talk about their experiences, the impact of mental illness and how we could improve mental health services for youth.”

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Notes to editors:
The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also the most popular university in the UK among graduate employers, in the top 10 for student experience according to the Times Higher Education and winner of ‘Research Project of the Year’ at the THE Awards 2014. It is ranked in the world’s top one per cent of universities by the QS World University Rankings.

Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…

Story credits

More information is available from Dr Maria Michail in the School of Health Sciences at The University of Nottingham on +44 (0)115 748 4310, maria.michail@nottingham.ac.uk

Lindsay Brooke – Media Relations Manager

Email: lindsay.brooke@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)115 951 5751
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