Your mental health rights – for 11-18 year olds

Your right to confidentiality

All personal information that professionals hold about you should be kept private.

This means if you talk to health professionals, schools, social workers, advocates or employers about your mental health, it should stay between you and them, unless they tell you differently.

Sometimes your information might be shared: 

• So you get a good level of care. For example, your doctor will write down what you tell them in your appointment. Other doctors who work at the same place will be able to see these notes, so if you have an appointment with a different doctor, you won't need to explain your story again.
• So they can refer you to another service, like a specialist doctor. They should tell you if they're going to do this.
• If they're worried that you or someone else could be in danger. Normally, they should tell you that they're going to do this, unless telling you would put someone else in danger.

If you're worried about confidentiality, you can always bring it up with the professional you're speaking to and they should tell you about the rules they have to follow.

You also have a right to see your personal information, like what your doctor has written on your medical notes.

Your right to be involved in decisions about you

You should always be involved in decisions about you, like:

• The treatment and support you get
• Who knows about your mental health problem
• The support you get at school

Your views and opinions should be listened to by the people involved in your care, support and education.

Your rights when going into hospital

If you need to go into hospital for your mental health, you have certain rights around:

• Your decision to go in and leave
• How you're treated when you stay there
• Continuing with your education
• Being able to talk to your family
• The types of treatment you have

Sometimes, you might not be able to make the decision about whether you go into hospital. This is called sectioning.

Sectioning is where you are kept in hospital to keep yourself or someone else safe. If you're sectioned, your rights might be different but your views and thoughts should still be listened to.

What if my rights are being ignored?

Sometimes things go wrong and we don't get the things we have a right to. This can be really difficult, but there are things you can do, like:

• Talk to a trusted adult like your parent, carer, guardian or teacher. They can talk things through with you and help you decide what to do next.
• Talk to the organisation. Tell them what your right is and how what they've done has affected you. Your parents, carers, guardians or an advocate can help you do this.
• Make a complaint. Every organisation or service should have a complaints process. You can ask them to talk you through this process and how to make your complaint. Your parent or advocate can help you do this. Your parent, carer or guardian can also make the complaint for you if you want them to.
• Get support from an advocate. These are people who can help you understand your rights, go to meetings with you, help get your voice heard and help you get the support you deserve. This could be a trusted friend or family member or it could be a professional advocate.

Where can I find a professional advocate?

To find an advocate, it might help to ask your doctor if they know any local advocacy services:

• If you live in England – you could also contact VoiceAbility or POhWER. These charity organisations offer free advocacy services.
• If you live in Wales – you could also contact the National Youth Advocacy Service.

Find more information on our page about advocacy for young people.