Gentle Retreat Supports Young People’s Mental Health Charities & Homelessness Charities

According to an NHS survey carried out in 2021, approximately 17.4% of children and young adults in the UK, aged six to nineteen, have a probable mental disorder.

Mental disorders are associated with impairment in functioning, disturbances in thinking, difficulties with emotional regulation, and risk of self-harm and suicide.

What causes mental illness in children and young adults?

Mental disorders are neurological conditions that originate in various ways:

1. Many types of mental illness, like depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be genetic – i.e. inherited through DNA.
2. ASD and ADHD are neurodevelopmental conditions – i.e. developed during gestation. They’re not always inherited disorders.
3. Mental disorders can also start through environmental influence (other than in the womb). For example, schizophrenia can be induced by cannabis use in adolescence, and anxiety disorders can be triggered by stress or trauma. An inherited predisposition to a condition can increase the likelihood of its onset, but sometimes the cause is not genetic.

Environment and experience play a leading role in the onset of mental disorders in young people.

In a household where there’s violence, substance abuse, or poverty, the likelihood of a child suffering from a mental disorder rises. Caring for a family member, living in authority care, and chronic physical illness are all potential triggers of mental illness. Beyond the home environment, stressors such as severe bullying or discrimination can lead to anxiety and depression.

Homelessness can be a stressor of sufficient severity to produce symptoms of psychological trauma, particularly for children and young adults who become homeless after experiencing sexual or physical abuse.

A life trauma will sometimes be the catalyst for mental illness. Traumatic events – for example, divorce or the death of someone close – can lead to separation anxiety, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, OCD, and other mental disorders.

Growing up can be a traumatic experience. Some young people are unready, emotionally, for the transition. They might experience self-loathing and a crisis of identity, leading to anxiety disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, trichotillomania (hair pulling), and OCD.

For others, adulthood is welcome, and opportunities for sex, alcohol, drugs, and freedom are gobbled up as fast as they appear. The highs that come from an excess of stimulus are often countered by valleys of depression, in which young people question the purpose, value, and identity of the world they live in – and, more particularly, of themselves.

In most cases, clusters of conditions will exist together, often exacerbated by alcohol or drugs. More often than not, the causes of mental illness will also be clustered.

Supporting the mental health of young people

There are numerous charities in the UK dedicated to supporting young people with mental health issues.

Some of the charities’ services are provided in schools:

• Talking therapy teaches students how to manage their mental health and how to cope with issues such as bullying, bereavement, and divorce. Talking therapy is often supported by creative activities. Disclosures are referred through the appropriate channels.
• Peer support teaches students how to support friends and classmates who are experiencing mental health issues.
• Parent counselling offers parents and carers advice on how to support their children. With increased understanding of their child’s mental disorder, parents can have more confidence in their own ability to care for their child’s special needs. Parent counselling is important in ensuring the long-term wellbeing of young people.

Other services are provided outside of the school environment:

• Criminal justice support involves working with legal agencies to ensure that young people receive appropriate support and treatment within the criminal justice system.
• Information phone line
• Employment support

At Gentle Retreat, we’re committed to the support of young people with mental health issues. Our support takes the form of an annual donation. At the end of each trading year, a generous percentage of all profits made through our retreat programmes is donated to young people’s mental health charities.

Join us on a retreat

Gentle Retreat offers a long weekend of meditation, yoga, and relaxation in the peaceful Norfolk countryside.

For more information, contact us at [email protected].

To book your place on a retreat, go to BookRetreats, where you’ll find details of prices and availability.