Resources: Quick guide to ... mental health and relationships

That makes the Mental Health Foundation's yearly awareness-raising week more important than many. Mental Health Action Week, from 11-18 April, focuses on relationships. Get acquainted with the quick guide.

1. Recognise that relationships are a powerful source of strength and support to many young people. They are far more likely to confide in each other if they are experiencing problems. They look to each other for understanding and non-judgmental support, which they often fear they would not get from adults or professionals.

2. You could consider a more formal peer support programme to build on young people's natural friendship networks. A typical programme might help train young people in active listening skills. They could also explore topics such as bullying or emotional wellbeing and deliver training to other young people. The Peer Support Manual, a guide to setting up a peer listening project in educational settings, can be downloaded from www.mentalhealth.org.uk.

3. Don't assume that relationships are all sunshine and happiness though.

A survey carried out for Mental Health Action Week found plenty of negative aspects too. Some people only discovered their friend had a mental health problem after they were hospitalised or tried to commit suicide. Some people reported that friends did not understand.

4. Young people's mental health issues are often ignored or underestimated. They can be deeply affected by the death of a grandparent, unsettled by a divorce, a house move or a parent's redundancy or illness. But their concerns and response can be marginalised as adults involved take centre stage. Try to develop awareness of the root causes and triggers that can lie behind self-harm, depression, stress and other problems that affect young people.

5. Knowing your limits is important for both peer supporters and youth workers. "Being there" for someone 24/7 can be a source of strain in itself.

So learn when it is appropriate to find external help.

This will involve knowledge of young people-friendly services. What is it like making an appointment? Figure out together what information or support someone is likely to need to help a friend - then find it.

6 Help demystify mental illness by being prepared to talk about the various therapeutic approaches. Find out what common medication is and does and about the side effects. Cognitive behaviour therapy can be useful for conditions such as depression, and the more widely understood it is, the better.

See Feature, p16.