宅男视频

Citizen scientist Aisha Tahliil reflects on the mental health challenges for young adults in her London neighbourhood, North Kensington

Introduction

Being a young adult between the ages聽of 18 and 24 can be a challenging and聽 confusing time and when confronted with聽unfamiliar and distinct difficulties, it can聽be easy to neglect one鈥檚 mental health.聽Without the safety net of schools and聽teachers, the transition into adulthood can be聽overwhelming, especially when it comes to聽navigating the public mental health system.聽

22.0% of young people in the UK aged聽17 to 24 years had a probable mental聽disorder *2022 NHS survey (MHCYP).聽

My research aimed to explore the distinct聽challenges young adults encounter in聽accessing mental health resources in聽North Kensington. It seeks to understand聽how community support networks, social聽connections, and the availability and quality聽of services influence the mental well-being of聽young adults in this area.

In young people aged 17 to 19 years rates of a probable mental聽disorder rose from 1 in 10 (10.1%) in 2017, to 1 in 4 (25.7%) in 2022.

How I conducted the聽research

First, I did walking ethnographies in North Kensington,聽looking out for community centers/local mental health聽services in order to observe environment and consider聽factors like hospitality and accessibility. I then conducted聽interviews with young residents and with people who聽work for organisations providing mental health support聽in North Kensington. From these interviews, I wanted聽to find out what community members think and feel聽about available mental health services. In addition, I聽conducted online research, exploring local organizations/governments websites to gather relevant documents,聽
reports, or policies related to mental health and聽community support networks in North Kensington.

Descriptions of the聽interviews

The first person I spoke with was one of聽the founders of a local youth organisation聽who has worked in the community for 25聽years. During our discussion, he shed light on聽the numerous obstacles that young adults聽encounter when attempting to access mental聽health assistance in North Kensington. These聽challenges primarily include language barriers,聽cultural sensitivity, and the prevailing stigma聽surrounding mental health. Our conversation聽highlighted the importance of programs and聽initiatives that engage young adults through聽enjoyable activities and gradually introduce聽them to topics like mental health. He stressed聽that building trust and rapport is the key to聽successful engagement with young adults.

My next interview was with a local NHS聽therapist. She outlined many of the complex聽challenges she sees young adults face such as聽the lingering effects of The Grenfell Tower fire,聽struggles with high living costs, overcrowding聽at home and difficulties in education. Notably,聽she stressed that the most significant barriers聽are lack of awareness about available聽resources and the perceptions of long waiting聽times. She pointed out that there is a common聽misconception that seeking help is reserved for聽those dealing with severe mental health issues.聽I was surprised to learn that, in contrast to this聽
widely held belief, waiting times for assistance聽in this borough are almost non-existent.

Interviews with young adults

The young adults I spoke with candidly聽discussed the challenges they and their peers聽encounter, encompassing decisions about聽education, achieving independence, financial聽management, and self-discovery. A notable聽revelation was the general lack of awareness聽amongst them regarding available mental聽health services, as they all struggled to name聽any specific resources. Recently, there has been a growing availability聽of mental health services, partially fuelled聽by significant events like Grenfell and the聽COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the young聽adults I interviewed voiced a clear desire for聽
more specialised assistance. They expressed聽a need for customised mental health聽support initiatives, workshops, and activities聽explicitly created for their demographic in the聽community, emphasising inclusivity, regularity,聽and flexibility to suit their preferences.

Findings from my research

Availability verse awareness

In Kensington and聽Chelsea we鈥檙e really聽fortunate, but people聽aren鈥檛 necessarily聽aware that there are聽services available聽for them.鈥�

In North Kensington there is an abundance聽of mental health resources but the primary聽challenge is that many individuals are not fully聽aware of the range of support services that are聽accessible to them. My research found that the聽most valuable thing would be directing efforts聽towards increasing awareness and combating聽the stigma surrounding reaching out for聽mental health support. By fostering open聽conversations and education about mental聽well-being, the community can ensure that the聽ample resources are more widely known and聽utilised to support those who need them.

Community

Making sure that聽you have a way to聽stay connected with聽other people who are聽good for you.鈥�

All my interviewees expressed positive聽sentiments about the community and聽highlighted its diversity and sense of belonging.聽The strong sense of community and availability聽of social connections serves as a pillar of聽support and comfort, especially during聽challenging times like the aftermath of the聽Grenfell tragedy. This is crucial to the mental聽well-being of young adults here as it reduces聽feelings of loneliness and offers reassurance.

I visited several community spaces which聽offered mental health support for residents聽of North Kensington. I visited spaces such as聽Al-Hasaniya, St Charles Hospital, Al Manar聽Mosque and Midaye centre.I was met with聽very friendly and welcoming environments聽and the overall atmosphere were easy and聽comfortable.

Improvements

鈥淚'd rather go to events for young adults.鈥�

鈥淸I would want]聽something that鈥檚聽flexible for everyone聽to get into.鈥�

鈥淸I would want] talks聽at colleges/unis [to聽raise awareness].鈥�

My final question to all my participants asked聽them for their ideas for enhancing young聽adults鈥� mental health support and this led聽to discussions on a range of initiatives and聽programmes. Young adults between the聽ages of 18 and 24 often find themselves聽overlooked, as they no longer fall within the聽children鈥檚 category, and navigating adult聽spaces and resources can be a daunting聽experience. This borough stands out for its聽abundance of resources and funding but I聽believe stakeholders should listen to the voices聽of young adults and adopt these proposals,聽including the creation of more specialised and聽exclusive resources tailored to their unique聽needs. Funding also needs to be allocated to聽spreading awareness through methods such聽as speaking at colleges and schools, promoting聽resources on social media and creating聽informative leaflets or brochures.

About the Good Life in North Kensington

The Good Life in North Kensington brings together a team聽of residents to explore what a 鈥榞ood life鈥� means for people聽in North Kensington, London, and what some of the聽barriers are to achieving it. In 2023, seven local residents聽became 鈥榗itizen social scientists鈥� and carried out their own聽research projects, investigating issues which matter to聽them and their communities.聽They have been trained and supported by UCL Citizen聽Science Academy, based at the Institute for Global聽Prosperity, in collaboration with the University of聽Manchester and the Westway Trust. They have since聽been awarded the Citizen Science Certificate by the UCL聽Office for Open Science and are now working with local聽organisations to help ensure citizen voices are part of聽
decision-making processes.聽

The Good Life North Kensington is part of a larger project聽on rethinking neighbourhood change and urban futures in the aftermath of housing tragedies. The project is led by Dr聽Constance Smith (University of Manchester) as part of a聽UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship.聽