As May was Mental Health Awareness Month our mental health improvement team circulated some new resources. These included:

Perinatal Mental Health Guide - This early intervention and prevention guide provides information and resources across Greater Glasgow and Clyde and beyond that provide mental health support for new and expectant parents and their families.  The team linked in with local partners who provided this information and it is hoped that parents/caregivers and families can get the support they require if needed.

What is sextortion and how can we protect young people from it?  – May’s ‘Ayemind’ bulletin covered the really important area of sextortion,how it impacts children and young people, and how we can support them. 

Sextortion is a form of intimate image abuse where someone is pressured/manipulated into sending an intimate photo or video. This is then used to blackmail them into sending more sexual content or money. Increasing reports have been made of sextortion targeting young people, which led to the National Crime Agency recently issuing a warning alert to all UK schools about the rise. In the first 6 months of 2023, reports to the IWF of sextortion rose by 257% compared with the whole of 2022. Older teens are most at risk with boys targeted most often.

Heather Sloan, Health Improvement Lead said: “As a team we try to produce information resources that are topical. In relation to the Perinatal guide we know that Suicide remains a leading cause of maternal death in the UK (MBRRACE, 2023), and we wanted to let women and families know that there is help and support out there. As for ‘sextortion’; sadly we know that incidents are on the rise and we wanted to share the facts and where people can go for help and to report such incidents.”

Follow the team on X at @ayemind99