'Thousands more' asking for mental health support

Daniel Harrison says North Staffs Mind has seen its users increase by 4,000 in three years

A mental health charity worker says more people are reaching out for support as their lives get "busier" and attitudes change.

Daniel Harrison, community engagement lead at North Staffs Mind in Stoke-on-Trent, said the number of people it helped had increased from about 8,000 to 12,000 over the last three years.

He told BBC Radio Stoke this was due to a combination of more people needing support generally and fewer being afraid to ask for help.

"People are reaching out and asking for support a lot earlier than they used to," he said. "Especially if you rewind the clock 10 years ago."

Mr Harrison said the summer holidays often "disturbed" parents' and children's day-to-day routine, which can sometimes lead to issues around mental health.

"They are finding it tricky and I think we can all admit that life is a lot busier right now. It doesn't seem to slow down at any point," he added.

"Those extra stresses, they just build on to the anxiety that people face every day."

He said the charity offered a lot of support for young people, including through The Maccas Project created in memory of 19-year-old Thomas McCauley, who took his own life in 2012.

It also has a drop-in service for teenagers in Stoke-on-Trent and has counsellors in about 40 schools around Staffordshire.

Mr Harrison said: "I think it's hard for anyone, regardless of age, regardless of background, to talk about something that's very personal to them and something that makes them feel a lot more vulnerable."

But he said the conversation around mental health was "much more prevalent" in society and people felt more able to reach out for help than they used to.

Staffordshire County Council recently announced its Five Ways to Wellbeing campaign in a bid to tackle rising concerns over residents' mental health.

The authority said the county had seen a rise in emergency hospital admissions for self-harm as well as an above-average increase in new diagnoses of depression.