More young people in Sheffield seeking help for their mental health because of celebrities talking openly

There’s been an almost 50 per cent increase in demand for community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) - from last October to December there were 390 referrals per month to the service.

Jim Milnes, deputy director of mental health transformation, told a scrutiny meeting: “There are thousands of people with mental health issues over the country, some of those are members of the Royal family, A list celebrities and footballers and part of the rise in demand is we are talking more about it and are more willing to come forward

“When I joined mental health services 15 years ago it wasn’t uncommon for people to take time off work and ask specifically not to mention mental health on their sick note. That’s extraordinary and you can’t begin to imagine that but we have moved on rapidly.”

Coun Jackie Drayton, cabinet member for children and young people, said there had also been high profile suicides in the media.

She said: “Social media creates a lot of pressure on young people in their homes because they can’t get away from it.

“I’m sure that’s having an impact and that fact we can see so much in our sitting rooms because it’s on the television that some high profile person has taken their life. That’s helped people articulate the feelings they have.”

Nicola Ennis of CAMHS said there was a combination of factors which was very hard to break down

“In Sheffield we have worked hard to improve access to services and have 33 projects in schools.

“We have seen an increase in conversations, we are talking about reducing stigma and work is being done in schools about how people can access and refer in.

“We didn’t predict such a significant increase, we’ve had around 100 more referrals than expected, but our acceptance rate has increased as well. A couple of years ago it was 50 per cent, now it’s around 76 per cent.”