Thea’s story

After attending a school where she experienced a highly competitive and pressurised culture, Thea developed anxiety and depression as a teenager. She is now an Anna Freud Young Champion, where she helps to shape the charity’s research and influencing activity. 

From ages 10 to 13, I attended a school which prioritised academic achievement and was really high pressured as result. A 92% test score was not enough and all the enjoyment and creativity was taken away. It was so stressful, I developed physical ticks like clicking my teeth and clenching my hands. Everyone around me was either highly anxious or shutting down and going off the rails. I remember one friend had a panic attack because she lost her school jumper – it was such an extreme reaction to a seemingly minor thing – while others my age were skipping school to do drugs.  

Although I left the school after three years, I first noticed something was really wrong when I was 16. I felt so empty and I didn’t know why. I stayed up for hours alone at night, crying and confused. At that school, I learnt how to hold things together and focus academically, but there wasn’t an opportunity to talk about my mental health. My wellbeing should have been prioritised alongside academic achievement. It took time to realise that I did need help. By sixth form, I was so burnt out it was a struggle to get through, and I nearly dropped out. However, with therapy, medication and the support of my family, I managed.   

The therapy also taught me how to understand and relate empathetically to my feelings. During those dark moments, I felt like I was watching them happen, almost like a ghost walking down a corridor. Personifying my depression in this way helped me deal with it. My own experience and witnessing others around me struggle motivated a passion to make things better for young people. This led me to studying psychology at university, which is how I came across Anna Freud.   

I didn't know anyone quite as passionate as me about mental health and I really wanted to meet others who shared my interests. Through the Young Champions programme, I’ve met lots of like-minded people and offered my perspective as someone with lived experience through research projects. This has included helping the charity’s experts ensure research materials are appropriate and relevant for young people. I’ve also supported the charity’s influencing activity and did a speech at the launch of Anna Freud’s Thinking Differently manifesto earlier this year. I loved the experience, and it isn’t something I thought I’d ever do.    

I’ve also been through lots training as a Young Champion which I can use professionally and throughout life. I particularly enjoyed community organising training where we learnt about the role power plays in society and how to own the space you’re in, which is hard as you enter the adult world. Being a Young Champion is incredibly empowering and Krish, a Participation Officer at Anna Freud, always reminds us that our time and thoughts are really worthwhile.   

What’s great about Anna Freud and why I am so proud to support their BBC Lifeline Appeal is that they cover so many different areas of children and young people’s mental health, from treatment to researching evidence-based interventions. They also understand that, if you want better mental health across the whole population, you need to build strong and stable foundations for young people focusing on prevention and early intervention, particularly in schools and colleges. It would be amazing if we could give teachers and other educational professionals the funding and support to do so.  

“We have a generation of people that are really struggling with their mental health, and, like Anna Freud, I want to help. I’ve just finished my psychology degree and, one day, I'm hoping to work as a clinical psychologist or psychotherapist within child or adolescence mental health. Mentally, I’m also in a much better place now. While I still sometimes go to therapy, I feel much freer from my old way of being.”

Anna Freud's BBC Lifeline Appeal

Watch our BBC Lifeline Appeal and donate to help us ensure all children, young people and families get the right mental health support at the right time. 

Watch and donate to our BBC Lifeline Appeal

Find out more 

Our team of Young Champions, including Thea, work with us to ensure that their experiences of mental health and as young people help shape the work we do. Learn more about the role or find out how to become a Young Champion.  

Anna Freud wants all schools to be mentally healthy. This means creating a school culture that prioritises belonging and relationships, where every student feels included and supported and where staff and families work in partnership.

Learn about our support for schools and colleges

About Anna Freud 

Anna Freud is a mental health charity and we’ve been supporting children and young people for over 70 years. We listen to and learn from their diverse voices, and integrate this with learnings from our science and practice to develop and deliver mental health care. This holistic approach has world-changing potential – our training, schools support, networks, partnerships and resources equip those who impact children and young people’s lives with the knowledge and skills to support their mental health. 

Learn more about us