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Worried about who to talk to

You might be worried about who you can talk to about your feelings, for instance unsure of what to tell your friends, how to tell your parents how you are feeling or what to say to relatives.

Some siblings say they felt unsure about telling friends about their experiences, because they were not sure if they would understand or because they were worried about what they might think.

girl listening to boy talking sitting against a wall outsideHowever, lots of people experience mental health problems, and you might find that other people you know have similar experiences, or that simply talking to a friend about your feelings can help even if they haven't been through it themselves.

  • You could try confiding in a close friend
  • You might like to talk to a teacher or counsellor at school or university
  • If you are at school or college, you could also ask your teacher to give a lesson or assembly about mental health so that people in your class can find out more about mental illness and how it can affect young people

Some siblings find it hard to talk to their parents about their worries because they feel that their parents are too busy with their brother or sister or that it would be an extra worry for them. However, just because your parents are spending more time at a certain time, worrying about your brother or sister's health, this does not mean that they do not want to know how you are doing.

  • Try asking your parents if you can set aside some time to talk about your concerns and worries and to talk to you about what is happening
  • You could also ask one of the professionals who is helping your sibling if they can explain things to you, if they are already receiving support
Whoever you decide to talk to, it is important to find someone who you can talk to because your feelings are important too.

You might also find it helpful to talk to other brothers and sisters who are going through the same thing.

Time to Change

Time to Talk - Time to ChangeMental illness is nothing to be ashamed of and it can happen to anyone, but there is sometimes stigma and discrimination around mental illness and this is something Rethink wants to change. You can join our Time to Change campaign to help get people talking about mental illness.