Samaritans Rap Encourages Teenagers To Speak Out About Mental Health, UK

Samaritans is releasing a rap song entitled '1 in 10 (talk to someone)' to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health and encourage young people to speak about problems before they escalate.



'1 in 10 (talk to someone)' is inspired by the story of Shirley Smith, a mother who lost her 19-year-old son Daniel to suicide in March 2005. Shirley said: "The sadness and ache in our hearts is unbearable at times but we made a conscious decision after Dan's death to tell our story, to try to encourage young people to talk about their problems, not to keep them bottled up so they destroy you."



The song was written and performed by students from Thornhill Business and Enterprise School in Sunderland and produced by Occupational Therapist Graeme Smith, who worked with students who wanted to do something positive and productive after a 13-year-old pupil at the school took his own life last year.



Graeme said: "We have a further seven songs written, performed or inspired by people who have direct experience of mental health services. Behind each song is a powerful story which we believe challenges mental health stigma and creates a message of hope, recovery and resilience."



"The students at Thornhill Business and Enterprise School have been directly affected by suicide and I believe this project has really influenced the lives of the young people in a positive way and changed their perception of mental health completely".



Shirley said: "The lyrics really moved me when I first heard them and when I saw the video it was incredible. The message is simple; 'talk to someone' if you feel low, please do not think you are alone. There is always someone, your parents, a friend, a teacher, a doctor or Samaritans. Please don't suffer in silence."



Suicide is the biggest killer of young men under the age of 35 and around one in ten young people will experience a mental health problem each year. Funds raised from the song will go to support the work of Samaritans and Comic Relief's campaign to combat mental health stigma. The DVD of '1 in 10 (talk to someone)' is supported by the Radio One Chris Moyles Breakfast Show and features an introductory message of support for young people from radio personality Chappers. Funding for the project was supplied by the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) and Samaritans. The compilation CD featuring rock, pop, and R& B tracks will be released later this year.



'1 in 10 (talk to someone)' is available for download on ITunes from Monday 16th June and DVDs and ring tones can be ordered online at yourlifeline.uk.The DVD was shot in Sunderland and has been nominated for the Health and Social Care Awards 2008.


Clilck here for an image of the CD.






It is the aim of Samaritans to make emotional health a mainstream issue. Samaritans' vision is for a society where fewer people die by suicide because people are able to share feelings of emotional distress openly without fear of being judged. Samaritans believes that offering people the opportunity to be listened to in confidence, and accepted without prejudice, can alleviate despair and suicidal feelings.



Samaritans is a registered charity, founded in 1953, which offers 24-hour confidential emotional support to anyone in emotional distress. The service is offered by 16,800 trained volunteers and is entirely dependent on voluntary support. Across the UK, you can call Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 (1850 60 90 90 in the Republic of Ireland) email, write to Samaritans at Chris, PO Box 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA, or if you are deaf or hard of hearing use the single national minicom number 08457 90 91 92. Log on to samaritans for more information. Calls from BT will be charged at up to 4 pence per minute at all times. A call set-up fee of 3 pence per minute applies to calls from residential lines. Mobile and other providers' charges may vary.



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