Ireland’s national LGBTQ+ youth organisation, Belong To, has launched a new campaign with a hub of mental health resources. Titled ‘Better Out Than In’, the annual campaign also encourages LGBTQ+ young people to reach out for support.
Recent research conducted by Belong To in partnership with Trinity College Dublin has highlighted the specific challenges that queer young people face because of stigma, fear of rejection, bullying and exclusion. The study revealed that LGBTQ+ youth experience three times the level of severe and extremely severe symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression; twice the level of suicide ideation; and five times the level of suicide attempts.
Belong To’s ‘Better Out Than In’ campaign aims to challenge the stigma surrounding asking for help when one struggles with mental health. The campaign also offers a hub of resources to support queer young people’s wellbeing.
The hub includes resources to help with:
- Developing self-esteem
- Addressing self-doubt
- Managing anxiety
- Building good sleep habits
- Managing low mood
- Handling others’ reactions
As part of the campaign, Belong To has also created a series of short videos featuring interviews with LGBTQ+ young people in Ireland, sharing empowering stories of people who were struggling with mental health and managed to reach out for help.
“This campaign is all about encouraging us to reach out for help when we need it,” said Moninne Griffith, CEO of Belong To. “This doesn’t just mean when things reach crisis point – in fact, the earlier we speak to someone about how we’re feeling, the earlier we can get support and stop the spiral.
“On our website, on the ‘Better Out Than In’ hub, we have lots of practical ‘mental health hacks’, explainers and inspiring videos that we would encourage all young people to use to address issues like anxiety and self-doubt. There is also a listing of helplines and text numbers that can be used to get support – so there really is always someone there to listen.
“The main message we would like to share is – talk, ask for help, reach out. We all need to do it at some point. That’s the strongest thing we can do when things are getting on top of us.”
The ‘Better Out Than In’ campaign and LGBTQ+ mental health hub are supported by Coimisiún na Meán. Find out more here.
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