1 in 4 young women aged 17-19 experience mental health difficulties. This has risen from 1 in 8 in 2017.
We are developing ‘My Story and Me’, a tool to help young women, and anyone else this is relevant to, understand and talk about their mental health.
What is ‘My story and me’?
It will be a secure website where young women and girls can:
- Watch a pre-recorded video of young women and girls talking about ‘Who am I? What is My Mental Health Story? How would I Like to be Supported?’
- Young women and girls will then record their own story about ‘Who am I? What is My Mental Health Story? How would I Like to be Supported?’. These videos will only be accessible to the person who made them.
Do you want to take part in research?
We want to hear from a range of different voices. A core focus is to hear from those who are less likely to be heard. We particularly encourage participants from:
- Black and minoritised ethnic groups
- LGBTQI+ groups
- Neurodiverse groups
- Intersecting identities
You are able to take part if you are a young woman or girl aged 12-24 years and have experience of mental health difficulties now or in the past.
We use the terms young woman and girl inclusively. If you are gender diverse and feel this topic is relevant to you, and you want to take part in this study, we welcome your views. We will respect your gender.
Education, mental health, and community organisation staff are also welcome to take part.
What’s involved?
Taking part in the study involves completing either an online survey (10 mins) or a one-to-one or group discussion that will last about 45 minutes. We will be asking for your views about ‘My Story and Me’ and our future plans.
To make participating inclusive, if you are not taking part in a professional capacity, there will be a £10 voucher reimbursement for your participation.
If you decide to withdraw at any point from the study, this will not forfeit your voucher.
Get in touch
If you’re interested and would like more information, you can get in touch with us by emailing MyStory@annafreud.org.
You can also complete this contact form and we will be in touch.
Who are we?
- University College London is responsible for the research.
- The research is funded by the Public Health Research programme of the National Institute of Health Research.
- This research team includes the Anna Freud Centre, University College London, University of Manchester, University of Oxford, Centre for Mental Health, and Gendered Intelligence.
This research has been reviewed and approved by University College London Research Ethics Committee (ref.: 14037/008). View the My Story and Me Privacy Notice