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  • University of Cambridge
  • University Medical Center Groningen

Young People and Mental Health

Learn how to identify and manage mental health problems as a young person and the best practices to improve your mental wellbeing.

90,583 enrolled on this course

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Young People and Mental Health

90,583 enrolled on this course

  • 5 weeks

  • 2 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

Understand the importance of youth mental health

Mental health problems often develop during the teenage years, with as many as one in five adolescents dealing with these challenges.

Therefore, it’s important that you know how to recognise mental health problems, what you can do to prevent them, and what you should do if you suffer from them.

On this five-week course designed specifically for young people, you’ll explore the most common psychological problems. Through personal stories, quizzes, and short assignments, you’ll develop the techniques to help manage and improve your mental health.

Learn how mental health problems arise

As you learn to identify the symptoms of mental health problems such as eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and ADHD, you’ll understand that there is no clear line between mentally healthy and not mentally healthy people.

With this knowledge, you’ll delve into what it is that can cause psychological problems including personal, environmental, and genetic factors, to understand how these issues arise in the first place.

Learn from the experts at the University of Groningen and Cambridge University

Once you have an understanding of how and why mental health issues occur, you’ll learn what to do when you experience mental health problems.

This course will arm you with the knowledge to both protect and boost your own mental health. Guided by the experts at The University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, and Cambridge University, you’ll finish the course with the tools to effectively manage your mental wellbeing.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 4 seconds Have you ever felt down, frightened, or stressed for a longer period of time? Do you find it hard to deal with other people, or you cannot manage to sit still and concentrate on your schoolwork? You are not the only one. At least one in five young people suffered, or is suffering, from psychological problems such as depression, fear, eating disorders, or ADHD. What is worse is that many of the mental health problems actually start when you are still an adolescent. It’s very likely that you have, or had, to deal with this, or that you know someone who does. Have you ever wondered what psychological problems actually are and what you can do about it?

Skip to 0 minutes and 50 seconds The University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, and Cambridge University will help you answer these questions in the easily accessible free online course about mental health especially designed for young people. By using personal stories, animations, short assignments, quizzes, and interviews, you will explore mental health, and you will learn to recognise the most common psychological problems. You will also find out what you can do to prevent mental health problems, or how to deal with these problems once you have them. If this seems interesting to you, sign on and join us in this mental health exploration.

What topics will you cover?

  • What is mental health?
  • What are common mental health problems?
  • What are the causes of mental health problems?
  • What to do when you experience mental health problems
  • How to boost your own mental health

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify symptoms of the following mental health problems: eating disorders, depression, anxiety, autism, ADHD, addiction, antisocial behaviour and psychosis.
  • Explain that there is no a clear dividing line between mentally-healthy and not mentally-healthy people.
  • Describe personal, environmental and genetic factors as possible causes of psychological problems.
  • Describe ways to deal with psychological problems.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for young people aged over 14 who want to know more about mental health.

It might also be of interest to parents, caregivers, teachers, and medical professionals.

Who will you learn with?

Postdoc at the University Medical Center Groningen; Coordinator of this MOOC about mental health for young people

Professor at the University Medical Center Groningen; director of a large longitudinal study about adolescent mental health (TRAILS); editor of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Who developed the course?

University of Groningen

The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands.

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge contributes to society through the pursuit of excellent education, learning, and research.

University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)

UMCG is building the future of health through its focus on complex patient care, research, education and training.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$134/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 23 Apr 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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