Young Voices are at the very heart of our services, giving insight into how we can best provide support. To shine light on those coping with long-term invisible conditions, these young perspectives are now being shared in a new awareness raising campaign, Young Voices of Invisible Illness.

Most of the young people we help face ‘Invisible Illnesses’, a phrase commonly used to describe any medical condition that can not be outwardly seen, including arthritis, cancer, diabetes, lupus, and many more. The purpose of this new campaign is to give such families a public platform to help educate others about the challenges of living with invisible illnesses.

The problem

With common problems related to anxiety, isolation, and daily pain, our art therapy services have enabled these families to focusing on their positive mental health and wellbeing. Mental health support is only part of the action that needs to be taken to support these young lives.

Living with an invisible illness can be isolating and emotionally challenging for children, as many people cannot empathise or fully understand a struggle they cannot see. It can be difficult to comprehend that children who are unwell may appear ‘okay’, but are actually facing chronic pain, frequent medical appointments and school absences, fatigue, and medicinal side effects - all of which have a huge impact on their emotional wellbeing.

By sharing information with schools, the medical community, and the wider public around their thoughts on Invisible Illness, we hope to address the issues stemming from having an illness that others cannot always see 

How you can help

With more public understanding and increased awareness of the challenges and obstacles these young lives face, we can help make Invisible illnesses more visible.

You can:

• Sign up and sharing our resources
• Support us by donating or hosting a fundraiser
• Raising your own voice using the hashtag #YoungVoicesofInvisibleIllness

Learn more

Check out some of the places you can read more about our campaign, and be sure to check back as more will be published throughout November.

• Our CEO, Sarah Randell, spoke to The Herald about how Teapot Trust is using its expertise in creative health to support young people living with a chronic condition. 
• Check out the latest news and updates from Teapot Trust