Covid: Tackling mental heath issues brought on by pandemic

Some young people have taken it upon themselves to tackle poor mental health after seeing how badly people have been affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Figures show the proportion of adults showing symptoms of depression has almost doubled since the start of the pandemic.

It is Mental Health Awareness Week 10 -16 May and here are a couple of the people making a difference.

'I was struggling'

Emily Fender set up a mental health service after seeing so many referrals of young people in her job as a mental health nurse

Registered mental health nurse Emily Fender set up her own not-for-profit mental health support service during the pandemic after noticing an increase in young people asking for support.

The 30-year-old from Swansea also runs a social care business, which helps people with severe and enduring mental health problems.

Emily said: "We were being contacted by people who have never suffered any mental health issues before so that's why we decided to set up the Empowering People Project, which is a charity that helps people with mild to moderate mental health problems.

"Mental health doesn't discriminate, it can affect anyone at any time, but we are seeing a lot of younger people getting in touch. Some who have been cut off from their support network, struggling with anxiety, people losing their jobs, financial worries and relationship breakdowns."

It is a referral service which helps suggest relevant types of support or treatment, which can be anything from fitness based, pain management, counselling and financial advice.

Emily also experienced her own serious mental health struggle at a younger age.

When a business venture failed during her early 20s, it almost rendered her bankrupt and homeless.

Emily moved back in with her parents and struggled through a serious period of depression.

She said: "I was on high doses of anti-depressants and at times I was suicidal. I was really struggling."

After responding to demand for support during the first lockdown, the Empowering People Project offers advice and support to anyone who is struggling with any day-to-day worries and anxieties.

Emily said the charity takes a holistic approach by sign-posting practical help based on an individual's needs.

She added: "I hope to be able to instil some hope in others, because if I can turn my life around after being on a really negative track, and now it's not. I really want to get the message across that you can make changes and change your story at any time."

'Hitting rock-bottom' to helping others

Ryan Stephens said hitting rock-bottom pushed him to help others

Ryan Stephens from Swansea is also on a mission to help others in his community struggling with their mental health.

Along with being a mindset coach he also established a voluntary sea-dipping community during the first lockdown which has grown throughout the year.

The Wet Bandits meet regularly at beaches across Swansea to enjoy the benefits of cold-water swimming.

Ryan's motivation to help others comes from his own struggle about six years ago.

After setting up a tattoo studio which enjoyed initial success, the business found itself in financial difficulty.

Ryan said: "A lot was going on and it put me in bad mental state. I started to get depressive thoughts and went downhill. I felt like the business was going to fail, which felt like I was going to look like a failure, so as a result of that one of the mistakes I made was to sell drugs.

"I ended up getting caught and was sent to prison for a few months."

The Wet Bandits was set up to help those struggling feel the benefits of cold water swimming

Ryan said that experience was "rock-bottom", but he had to look at it as a "new base" for him to start again.

After leaving prison he trained to be a counsellor and worked with substance misusers to try to help them overcome their addictions.

Realising his passion for helping others during this experience he has since set up his own mindset business which offers support and advice to others struggling with their mental health.

"It's my overall mission now to positively impact as many people's lives as possible, so they don't fall into the same trap as I did and think that they can't get out of it.

"What I've learned is mistakes we make or bad things that happen to us are only a weight or hinder to us if we choose to look at them that way. I think if we choose to look at them as a stepping-stone to a brighter future then it can make all the difference in the world."