"For Alfie, school was a daily ordeal. The death of his father at 14 devastated him and he soon became a target for bullying. People would randomly punch me and push me around, he said. They taunted me and made jokes about my dad dying. At 15, I had a mental breakdown and began misusing drugs to self-medicate. By 17, I was admitted to CAMHS [Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service] inpatient unit."
"Eryn had a similarly painful start. After losing her grandfather and dealing with significant challenges at home, she was diagnosed with social anxiety and depression. I was on high-dosage medication and struggled to attend lessons, she said. I was very quiet and couldn't handle being around other children, so the school put me in a room on my own. I felt completely isolated."
Two young people experienced severe bereavement, bullying, isolation, and untreated mental illness that led to drug misuse, inpatient mental health treatment, and educational exclusion. One young person was bullied after a parent's death, suffered a breakdown, and entered a CAMHS inpatient unit. Another lost a close relative, developed social anxiety and depression, became isolated at school, and was moved to an ill-suited specialist school setting. By leaving school, both had minimal qualifications, low self-esteem, and poor job prospects. National data show 923,000 young people aged 16-24 are NEET, with over 150,000 out due to severe illness. A city initiative has raised funds to support unemployed young people into work and business.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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