Charis navigated most of her life without her deaf diagnosis. This meant she struggled. When she reached out for support with anxiety, she wishes she had a deaf professional she could have turned to.
Charis is 22 years old. She reflects on her experiences of mental health growing up.
“Growing up, my mental health was okay until I was about 16 – and from there it was really up and down. It has stayed like that ever since.”
Charis has been hard of hearing since she was five years old. Both her parents told audiologists and doctors that something wasn’t right with her hearing. But they were told that Charis wasn’t deaf.
“The doctors did tests and told my parents that there is nothing wrong with your daughter. She’s not deaf. Everything is fine.”
Charis went through the majority of her life without a deaf diagnosis. Which meant she struggled without any additional support. She didn’t get diagnosed until she was 18 years old.
“It was a real struggle for me, especially in school. My main mental health issue is dealing with anxiety.”
When she experienced anxiety, Charis wished she was able to access support from a deaf professional.
“I feel it’s best for me to have a deaf therapist. Then, I don’t need to over-explain myself to them. I don’t need them to make my deafness a sad thing.
With a hearing therapist, it’s like they are grieving my deafness. Yes, I have mental health issues, but that’s not specifically because I am deaf. That’s not something that is wrong with me.
Sometimes hearing therapists apologise for the fact I am deaf. They grieve that part of me. I don’t need that in therapy.”
Charis explains why it is so much better to connect with a therapist who is deaf or understands deafness.
“A deaf therapist means we can both relate to each other. We have shared lived experience. I am more comfortable in that environment.”
Deaf young people, like Charis, are twice as likely to experience mental health issues. Charis makes it clear that the way to help is by providing opportunities to connect with other deaf people who understand what you are going through.
SignHealth are increasing our services to reach deaf children and young people. We are providing mental health workshops – delivered by deaf professionals to help young people like Charis.
Could you donate today to support deaf young people like Charis? A donation of £10 could help one young person to access our workshops.
Being deaf does not cause depression and anxiety.
Facing barriers every day does.
Deaf young people are twice as likely to experience mental health issues. Meet the real young people behind the statistic.
Lucy struggled with her mental health at university.
Beth felt isolated and it really affected her mental health.
Harriet’s hearing therapist assumed that being deaf was the problem.
