Simon works to increase awareness of depression

View PDF | Print View
by: Guest Total views: 209 Word Count: 512   

A BURY teenager is balancing university life with fundraising after setting up a charity in memory of a friend.

Simon Perkins, aged 19, is a founder member of Mind Your Head, which works to raise awareness of depression and mental health issues.

He set up the charity with friends Oli Mosse and Nancy Hughes, who are fellow students at the University of Manchester.

They were inspired by Oli's brother, 24-year-old Jake Mosse, from Dorking, who committed suicide in April.

Criminology student Simon, who grew up in Walmersley and now lives in Manchester, said: "It was such a shock when Jake died and terrible that it had happened.

"We wanted to do something to honour him, so we decided to go out and help people. We're raising awareness of depression and suicide among young men and the stigma that goes with them." Mind Your Head started in June with charity nights in Manchester featuring DJs and a calm room where people could go to talk about their problems.

They raised thousands of pounds for charity CALM, which supports men battling a variety of issues.

Simon, a former pupil at Derby High School and Bury College, is now helping to expand Mind Your Head to provide more support.

They are setting up a website and plan to hold monthly group meetings where people can discuss what they are going through.



Mind Your Head is also teaming up with Bury Samaritans, which Simon has been involved with as a non-listening volunteer for six months.



"We are going to direct people to the Samaritans because it is a 24-hour charity and there is always someone there to talk to.

"Men don't like to talk about their problems, they tend to hold back and keep their feelings in. A lot of young men are taking their own lives though. Hopefully if we direct them to the Samaritans, they will get things off their chest and maybe change their mind about committing suicide."

Donna Webb, Bury Samaritans' deputy director of outreach, said: "It is great that we can team up with Mind Your Head. We have the manpower and the experience to help people talk about their problems, and they have access to young people who need our help. It's a really good combination."

Good luck to ya.

Sounds like a real plan and not a pie in the sky thing. I know when I was back home and had issues it tended to come out wrong, so nice you are giving people an alternative and its aimed at young males (not solely male i pressume) which is good.

Good luck to ya. Sounds like a real plan and not a pie in the sky thing. I know when I was back home and had issues it tended to come out wrong, so nice you are giving people an alternative and its aimed at young males (not solely male i pressume) which is good.

Additional information:

Depression in children and young people information, symptoms
Depression and young people What is Depression Depression is a
August 24th program about depression in young people illustrates
Fact sheet 1: Depression in young people Youthbeyondblue
Checklist for the Signs of depression in young people
Depression in young people Australian Prescriber
Depression in children and young people
Depression in Young People Publication series National Health
http://www.thisislancashire.co...

Related "Depression":

• A marriage repaired: Writer offers self-help guide for spouses
  WILMINGTON, Del. - A recovering perfectionist and ...
• Loneliness and HIV-Related Stigma Explain Depression Among Older HIV-Positive ...
  Service providers and researchers should "assert ...
• Former nurses convicted of stealing drugs
  WINCHESTER -- A judge convicted two former nurse ...
• YA World: My Dinner Date With Lauren Oliver
  Few if any literary genres have garnered as much ...
• Herbs for Depression - Herbal Remedies Natural Antidepressants
  Depression is a state of mind that arises from reg ...

Comments

Add Comment