My Life: Tye Brown, 15, Gloucestershire
Tye Brown
Monday, June 9, 2014
I have been looking after my mum, who suffers with anxiety and depression, which can cause bad panic attacks, since I was six.
The attacks often happen in the middle of the night and my brother and I will sit with her until it stops. I'll talk to her, calm her down and make her a cup of tea. When I am not at school I give her a lot of support. It is hard when I am at school because I just can't stop worrying about her.
My mum receives support from a local charity and I have been getting support from Gloucestershire Young Carers for about four years. They visited my mum and I at home, and I was soon going to a weekly young carers group.
The group isn't like a normal youth club. You know the minute you walk in that the other young people understand what you are going through and they respect you. It is hard to talk to your friends - only my cousin understands what is going on in my family. But at the group, it is all about respect and meeting other young carers.
I love being involved with Gloucestershire Young Carers. I'm a member of their forum, a group of young carers who help the charity to explain the views of young carers generally to people who can make decisions - such as GPs, teachers or mental health workers.
It is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I know that I'm actually part of something progressing, something that is growing to be quite huge and that is so exciting.
