Tackling isolation online

When you’re struggling with mental health it can be easy to imagine you’re alone. NHS Leeds CCG asked us to find a way of tackling isolation online. We created content and a video platform that shares stories of young people experiencing mental health issues, which also allows them to explore a range of topics in detail and at their own pace.

NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group has a vision to transform the mental health of children and young people (CYP) in the city of Leeds. As part of this, we created the award-winning brand/website MindMate (MindMate.org.uk), which provides a friendly, accessible and recognisable face of mental health services for CYP in Leeds. We have continued to develop MindMate for several years, using digital channels to help young people access support for mental health issues without stigma.

Connecting young people with similar stories

One of our key objectives was to help normalise mental health. We recommended that the introduction of lived experience content would help to make that happen.

Filming the stories of young people who have experienced mental health difficulties could help young people connect with others who have been through similar experiences. We also suggested that rather than simply produce static video content, we create an interactive platform that would allow users to dig deeper into the content while still watching the videos.

Results

The Real Stories project launched in late 2017 and was promoted through the client’s owned channels, including social media, newsletters and, crucially, direct to young people via GP, School Nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

It received fantastic feedback from young people, as well as the client. The project also won the Website Design category at the DesignWeek awards in 2018.