Research released in February 2025 revealed that a third of people surveyed in the UK (34%) say they would prefer to not talk about their mental health rather than risk an awkward conversation.
The desire to avoid awkwardness is highest among young people – 45% of 16-24 year olds say not speaking up is better than having an awkward conversation, compared to just 19% of 65-74 year olds.
The silence around mental health is impacting our social lives. Almost four in ten (39%) say they have pushed friends and family away or stopped socialising due to wanting to keep quiet about mental health concerns, with young people the most impacted.
37% of 16-24s say they have struggled at school or work because of not talking about their mental health.
The survey shows young people are the most likely to avoid conversations about their mental health, with half (49%) of 16-24-year-olds admitting to pushing people away, compared to just 11% of those over 75. Nearly half (45%) of young people say they wouldn’t want to discuss their mental health, compared to just 19% of 65-74 year olds.
Sadly, bottling things up is driving isolation; 39% said they have pushed friends and family away or that they have stopped socialising as a result of not talking about their mental health. And it’s making life more difficult. A fifth (20%) say not talking is causing them to struggle at school or work, rising to 37% of 16-24s and 24% say keeping quiet has made their mental health worse, highlighting the importance of being open.
Generally, the biggest barriers to speaking about mental health were fear of burdening others with struggles (26%), fear of being judged or labelled (21%) and feeling like no one will truly understand (21%). Three quarters (72 %) report at least one factor making them feel uncomfortable talking about their real feelings, rising to a huge 894% of 16-24 year olds.