The first steps of getting rid of the stigma around mental health and mental illness is to have all the facts and to be given all the facts.  I think the best ways of getting these messages across would be through PHSCE lessons, and through the messages being delivered by people who have had personal experience to talk from. As often, that is the most powerful and the ones where the message gets put across most strongly. Schools should do more to encourage and promote the learning of facts of mental health and to talk about the issue more openly and to dispel the misconceptions around mental illness. 

“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.”  Kurt Vonnegut

Really inspirational video, and a way of maintaining your mental wellbeing and health.

Matt Windle is an inspirational young man, with touching and relevant poetry. In 2007/08 he was Birmingham’s Young Poet Laureate. This poem talks about mental health and about the stigma that is built around mental illness. 'Mental isn't crazy it's to do with the mind'. He highlights how prevalent mental illness can be, it's happening to 1 in 4. Therefore, making even more imperative we get rid of the stigma and silence that has been built around Mental illness and we talk about it in school and on other platforms. Make sure people who need help aren't scared to go seek the help they need for fear of ridicule or exclusion. If peoples mental health is being effected then we need to ensure we talk about it and don't keep it hush. School is the perfect place to start talking about mental health and make it a norm. We spend so much time in school, there is no better place to start talking about and ask someone how they feel. Please share this video and make everyone think twice about mental health.

This newly created GP Access fund could be exactly what we have been calling for as young people for a while now. These new reforms would see "patients at 1,147 GP practices across England will be able to see their family doctor outside normal working hours, including late-night and weekend appointments or use one of the modern consultation 
tools for convenience."  The modern consultation tools that would be used "Skype, email and phone".  

In regards to GP services this is one of the major solutions we have been proffering, in the first instance, having 24 hour surgeries and ability to contact our GP would mean that we as young people are more likely to use our GPs as our first port of call if there was something wrong. Therefore, putting less strain on A&E services. Also the use of modern consultative tools is something which should have implemented earlier but we are glad to see the push in the right direction. In utilising modern tools, GPs are more likely to get interaction from their patients and bonds and trust being built being these two key stakeholders.   

Personally, I have never had good relations with my GP. I would always opt for going to A&E than to go see my GP. My parents see our GP more than I do. This is because in the first instance, it is the most difficult thing in order to get an appointment with my GP. While I am able to see a GP at my surgery, I am unable to see MY GP. Therefore, the continuity of care was never there. This meant that every time I went to see a GP, I had to reiterate what was the issue and matter with me and explain the nuances with my condition. However, this new reform could change that, as with the increased time the surgeries would be open for, it would give  more appointment slots with our GPs therefore, a chance for continuity of care and a chance to even get an appointment would increase. Secondly, I have experienced times whereby my GP, when I do get an appointment with them, would rather send me to A&E than to treat me themselves. As they know I have another medical condition in which they are unfamiliar with, they would rather not prescribe or do something, in fear that it may interfere with my other treatment. On the positive side, if I was able to go see MY GP more, than it would allow a relationship to build and provide a chance for them to get to know my condition more and therefore, giving them a chance to build up confidence in treating me. This would be further enhanced through the multitude of ways being proposed in order to get in contact with your GP. This would mean that you can still be in touch and 'see' your GP without actually going to their surgery.

I think this is a really exciting development and I personally will be following this, to see how the government follows through with this, as I can see this having a lot of positive impacts. 

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/13/gps-surgeries-open-all-hours-50m-pound-reform

"In this short film Jane talks about her mental health issues at school and the difficulties of getting help from adults around her. Dr Raph Kelvin talks about how letting mental health problems in youth go unnoticed can lead to a multitude of issues in adult life and how MindEd can help adults to intervene early, getting children and young people the support they need."

"MindEd provides practical e-learning sessions when and wherever they’re needed, quickly building knowledge and confidence to identify an issue, act swiftly and improve outcomes for children and young people."

http://www.minded.org.uk/