31/07/2025
This story is too common.
“I have grappled with my mental health from a young age and growing up with cerebral palsy has its challenges. It can be really frustrating trying to navigate and fit into a world that isn’t accessible to you. A world that has expectations and pressures that go against you.
I am an 18-year-old who was referred to CAMHS at age 12 with anxiety and depression, and started to seek help, only to be turned away. It should not have taken five years trapped in a system to then be told as I was turning 18 that the service could no longer provide for me. This needs to change.”
This is Jessica’s story. Too many young people like Jessica are navigating a society that is full of challenges and pressure that makes their mental health worse. And then when they reach out for support, they are told they are ‘not sick enough’, have to wait months and months or are turned down completely.
Young people deserve to get the support they need, when they need it, no matter what.
