Spot the signs
School staff are well placed to spot the early signs if a young person is struggling. If you are worried about a pupil in school there are a number of ways you can encourage them to seek support.
There are often signs when someone is experiencing mental health difficulties. These can be obvious or may more subtle. Below are some examples of what to look out for:
Some of the ways people might act differently are:
seeming distant, or not themselves
not meeting up or responding to messages as much as normal
spending more time on their own
not chatting, smiling or laughing as much
showing lower self-esteem
talking about feelings that worry you, or saying 'I can't do it any more'
not doing things they normally like
crying or shouting
smoking, drinking, or using drugs when they didn't before.
Some of the physical changes you might notice in people are:
not dressing like they used to
gaining or losing weight
eating too much or too little
can't concentrate
looking tired
not washing or taking care of themselves
hurting themselves on purpose.
Mind UK, 2017