Support Young People with Complex Mental Health Problems

A growing number of young people are trapped in a vicious cycle of despair due to complex mental health issues such as depression, eating disorders, self-harm, and trauma. Too often, this leads to situations where they put their future at risk—dropping out of school, causing lasting harm to themselves, or even taking their own lives. Researcher Laura Nooteboom is investigating how young people with lived experience can be sustainably involved in helping this group. "They show those who have lost all hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel."

Support Young People with Complex Mental Health Problems
"Young people struggling with complex mental health issues often feel unheard and unseen, even when they are receiving help," says Laura Nooteboom. "We see this in the fact that treatment often doesn’t have the desired effect. Over time, they lose trust in mental health services. These young people feel so trapped that suicide sometimes seems like the only way out."

 Laura Nooteboom is a senior researcher in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry department at LUMC (Curium). Together with researcher Carolijn de Beer and Professor Robert Vermeiren, she is investigating how young people with lived experience can be deployed to support those facing similar struggles.

A Peer with Lived Experience
"Young people with complex mental health issues often struggle to connect with their peers," Laura explains. "Their families are often in crisis as well, so their therapist may be the only person they can talk to. That’s why it can be incredibly valuable to have a peer mentor—someone their own age who truly understands what they are going through. This can give them a renewed sense of belonging."

Providing Hope is Crucial
Peer mentors can attend therapy sessions alongside young people, helping to translate the treatment process into something more relatable. They can also share their own recovery stories, showing that things can get better. Offering hope in this way is vital.

A Structured Role Within the Organisation
For peer mentorship to be effective, it is crucial that lived experience experts become a structural part of the organisation. This means employing them properly, providing thorough training, and ensuring they have a dedicated point of contact and a clear role within the team. Laura explains: "Organisations cannot achieve this on their own, which is why, under the leadership of Carolijn de Beer, we are launching a collaboration between mental health services. By creating a shared pool of peer mentors, we can provide centralised guidance and further professionalise their role.

With contributions from donors, we can establish and implement this collaboration, as well as conduct in-depth research into the impact of peer mentorship. This project is interdisciplinary and involves multiple youth mental health and social care organisations in the region, ensuring that it leads to real, practical change rather than remaining just an idea on paper. "

Donate Now and Help Young People
Young people with complex mental health issues are at risk of falling through the cracks. But with the support of a peer mentor, we can reach them—no matter how deep their struggles run. Together, we can help them find the will to live again. Your contribution is invaluable.