New app aims to help young people with mental health issues
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Young people in the north-east can access support from a new app to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.
It offers free 24/7 access to therapists and real-time assistance for young people in crisis or struggling with their mental health.
The Hidden Strength app is available to people aged 13-24 and facilitates a community of like-minded people to anonymously come together and support each other, with round-the-clock access to tools and activities that promote holistic mental wellbeing.
The app launch follows research commissioned by Hidden Strength, which found in Scotland, 41 per cent of young people say they are suffering from mental ill-health, and 64 per cent of them would take up therapy if it was free to access.
Hidden Strength aims to help combat the UK’s growing mental health crisis which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic; its research revealed three quarters (77 per cent) of young people in Scotland who are suffering from mental ill-health have only done so since the first lockdown in March 2020, whilst eight in ten (79 per cent) say their condition has worsened in the last 14 months.
This trend is also set to continue, with a quarter (27 per cent) of young people in Scotland saying they feel very anxious about the return to normal once lockdown restrictions lift.
Dr Dawn Harper, practicing NHS GP, TV presenter and member of the Hidden Strength advisory board said: “Working as an NHS GP, I have seen a worrying increase in the number of young people suffering with mental health issues in recent years.
"The effect of the pandemic has sadly exacerbated the problem, so I was delighted to join the team at Hidden Strength to help combat the issue with such an innovative solution.
“The Hidden Strength app is a unique ‘one stop shop’ for mental health and wellbeing for teenagers and young adults, allowing them to access reliable support where and when they need it, in a safe and secure way.”
The app aims to fill a gap in the provision of mental health services for young people who say their needs are not fulfilled by options currently available.
According to Hidden Strength’s research, 38 per cent of young people with mental ill-health in Scotland would like to be able to access mental health support 24/7, with 32 per cent saying they would like this to be anonymous and 21 per cent preferring to access support digitally via an app or website.
Founder and CEO of Hidden Strength Linsey Lunny said: “As a mother of two children entering their teen years and reflecting on my own mental health experiences in my youth, I was conscious that now, more than ever, adolescents need a reliable source of information and support.
"The global pandemic has seen them face insurmountable mental health challenges, yet identifying trustworthy resources online can be like finding a needle in a haystack and professional support can come with long waiting lists, high fees and often doesn’t cater to the way young people live and behave.
“Hidden Strength will transform the mental health provision for young people. As a safe, free-to-use platform in an environment that is familiar and appealing to young people, it will ensure they get the advice, guidance and support that they need at any time of day – both peer-to-peer, and in the form of fully qualified, on-demand therapists.”
To find out more about Hidden Strength, visit hiddenstrength.com
