EPIC Friends website launched for Mental Health Day

10 October 2011

An interactive website has been launched today to educate and equip young people to identify mental health issues in their friends.

EPIC Friends provides a new and interactive platform to enable young people to understand how to assist and support their friends and to identify sources of local and national help.

Here at The Children's Hospital Charity, we believe the service that the CAMHS team provides is truly innovative. The EPIC Friends website is just one example of the unique approach our staff have to helping our young patients with mental health issues and we’re so proud to support them in what they do.

We have funded the website as part of a wider project across the Trust’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Recent research from YouthNet has shown that four in five young people will go online to seek advice and information and 60% will do so in order to help their friends.

Tools on the new site include an interactive wheel of symptoms, outlining a range of issues from bullying to ADHD and eating disorders, and key information including telltale signs for friends to identify them.

Gill Crow, Consultant Clinical Psychologist from Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said: “The Department for Health indicates that 1 in 10 young people between the age of five and 16 have some form of mental health issue.

“ Although there are specialist services to support young people with serious mental health problems, everyone can play a part in identifying and supporting young people experiencing difficulties. Often young people turn to their friends for help, or it is friends who notice that someone seems to be stressed or struggling.

“We’re really pleased that The Children’s Hospital Charity has funded this project with the CAMHS team to develop a website to help young people help their friends.”