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More children discuss getting support for their suicidal thoughts with Childline

Children’s Mental Health Week runs from 6-12 February this year. We’ve got advice for young people, their parents and carers.

What is Children's Mental Health Week?

This annual event in the UK, co-ordinated by the children’s charity Place2Be, aims to raise awareness of children’s mental health.

The theme this year is Let’s Connect, focused on encouraging children and young people to connect with others in healthy, rewarding and meaningful ways.

 

New insights into children’s mental health from Childline

 

As Children’s Mental Health Week launches, data from Childline shows an increase in children talking about accessing support for their suicidal thoughts.

Between April 2021 and March 2022, Childline – our counselling service for children and young people – delivered 24,837 counselling sessions on suicidal thoughts and feelings. 

In 2,024 of those sessions, children spoke about accessing support from their parents, friends, school or services like CAMHS for their suicidal thoughts. That’s a 61% increase compared to the year before. 

Those children and young people may have talked to our counsellors about:
  • being on a waiting list
  • their feelings about the level of support they were receiving
  • worries about how to talk to a parent or carer.

Contact Childline

A boy, aged 15, who called Childline, said:

“For the past few months, I’ve been feeling lonely and like I’m nothing. Most recently I’ve had really dark thoughts about suicide.

"I’ve been self-harming as a distraction as wherever I go it’s always on mind – it seems to just follow me and it’s really overwhelming.

"I act as happy when I’m around my mum – she seems to think I’m fine but I’m really dying inside. I feel like nobody understands and I don’t know who to tell. I’m worried they'll laugh and won’t believe me or say, ‘you out of all people can’t be feeling that!’.” *

And a 17-year-old boy who called Childline revealed:

“I keep getting these suicidal thoughts and I don’t know what to do about them. I try to distract myself or I ride them out, but the thoughts always end up coming back.

"You’re the first person I’ve told this to. I don’t really want my mam to know cos it will only worry her and probably make me feel even worse.” *

Helping Hollie in her darkest times

From a young age, Hollie had suffered with anxiety. But to the outside world she was happy, confident, and talkative.

In 2013, she suffered a panic attack and her mental health worsened. She dropped out of school, isolated herself from her friends and was admitted to hospital.

Following a suicide attempt, Hollie contacted Childline and spoke to a counsellor about her feelings. It was that chat which stopped her from trying to take her life again when she got off the phone.

Over the next couple of years, Hollie stopped talking, walking, eating and taking care of herself. There were also more stays in hospital.

Yet despite not talking to anyone, Hollie would often call Childline and chat to a counsellor when she was feeling low. She describes the service as her lifeline during her darkest hours.

Contact Childline

Mental health resources for families

For children

If you're worried about your mental health, you could:

  1. Talk to a trusted adult about how you’re feeling and what is worrying you. This could be a parent, guardian, sibling over the age of 18, grandparent, teacher or a Childline counsellor. Sharing how you feel with someone you trust means that they can support you. It will also help you feel less alone with your worries, and they can let you know that they will be here for you.

  2. Be kind to yourself. Speak to yourself like you would a friend and take the time to check in on your basic needs such as eating, drinking and resting.

  3. Take a break. If you feel overwhelmed or are struggling to cope you could go for a walk or listen to some music to give yourself some headspace. Taking some deep breaths will also help you feel calmer and less panicked and you can visit Childline‘s Calm Zone to find some activities that can help relax you.

  4. Try and build a healthy routine to give yourself some structure to your day. For example, you could set reminders on your phone to take regular breaks to read a book, go for a walk or ring a friend. Or you could get up earlier than normal and start your day with some deep breaths, some gentle exercise and have a healthy breakfast.

  5. Helping others or doing a random act of kindness can help you feel good about yourself and distract you from your worries. This doesn’t have to be anything extravagant – it could be as simple as offering to do a chore like the washing up or making someone a cup of tea.

  6. Contact Childline if you feel you have nowhere else to turn or would like some extra support. Our counsellors are available 24/7 and you can get in touch online at the Childline website, by email or 121 chat or on the phone on 0800 1111. Our trained counsellors are here for you and no worry is ever too small.

For adults

If you're worried about a child you look after or support, you could:

  1. Let them know you’re there for them. This will reassure them that you are on their side, and it will remind them that they can come to you about anything.

  2. Try talking to them over text or on the phone, if they don’t feel able to talk in person.

  3. Be patient and stay calm and approachable, even if their behaviour upsets you. Recognise that their feelings are valid. Let them know it’s okay for them to be honest about what it’s like for them to feel this way.

  4. Think of things you could do together to help them cope – like yoga, breathing exercises or mindfulness.

  5. Encourage them to talk to an adult they trust like their GP, someone at their school or Childline. Especially if they’re finding it hard to talk at home.

  6. Take care of yourself and get support if you need to. Try not to blame yourself for what’s happening and stay hopeful.

Darren Worth, Service Head of Childline, said:

“At Childline, we know that mental health is something that thousands of children across the UK are struggling with and it remains the number one concern that our counsellors speak to children about every day.
 
“While some are grappling with anxiety, others are experiencing depression and suicidal thoughts and feelings.
 
“Many of these children tell our counsellors Childline is the first place they’ve turned to and that they’ve not known who else to turn to.
 
“No matter what a child’s experience is, if they are struggling with their mental health, we believe that it is essential they get the support they need to help them cope quickly.
 
“That’s why this children’s mental health awareness week we want to remind all young people that Childline is here for them 24/7, whether that be on the phone or via an email or 121 chat.
 
“As well as speaking with one of our counsellors, we also have lots of resources and advice available online like our monitored message boards which allow young people to speak with their peers and connect and share their experiences.”

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Disclaimer

*These quotes are based on real Childline service users but are not necessarily direct quotes. Potentially identifying details have been changed to protect the identity of the child or young person involved. Photographs have been posed by models.