RCPsych Wales has teamed up with presenter Jess Davies to produce a series of videos focusing on the everyday struggles which can negatively affect the mental health of young adults.
The series of four videos sees Jess, Ellis Lloyd Jones, Mared Parry and Melanie Owen discuss topics, such as loneliness, body image and financial struggles, which can often have a significant effect on mental well-being.
The Covid-19 pandemic has massively impacted on almost every area of people’s lives including loneliness, financial struggles, and relationships. These topics are now more relevant than ever, with one in five young people admitting that they feel lonely and isolated and more than 50% of 18-21 year olds in the UK reporting a loss in income.
Speaking about the videos, Jess Davies said:
‘I’m really excited to partner with The Royal College Of Psychiatrists Wales on this project because I believe it is more important than ever to be discussing the effects of everyday life on young people and their mental health and well-being.
We all put so much pressure on ourselves to achieve and compete with the lives we see online, whether that be through body image or the relationships we keep.
I’m a true believer in the power that authenticity online can play in reflecting and helping young people with the everyday struggles we all face daily. I hope this social media series will encourage others to open up about their experiences and know they’re not going through it alone.’
By opening up conversation about these issues, the videos aim to highlight that many young adults do face these struggles, often in silence, opening up discourse and signposting to helpful resources.
This project compliments work which we have undertaken in schools, looking at body image and addressing the issues which young people face nowadays.
The first video of the weekly series focuses on loneliness and is available to view here.