One of the most useful bits of life advice is given out almost every minute of every day on airplanes, as pilots prepare to take off: in the unlikely event of an emergency, always remember to put on your oxygen mask first before trying to help someone else with theirs.
Of course, I never pay much attention to the safety announcements when I am strapped into a metal tube waiting to be launched into the sky, being of the opinion that, in the likely event of an emergency at 35,000ft, there is probably very little an oxygen mask will do to rectify the situation. But when not on a plane, it is a piece of guidance I find extremely useful, especially when responding to emails from desperate parents and grandparents, getting in touch to share their experiences of dealing with child mental health.
Every week, I get dozens of messages from adults who are struggling to deal with the stuff going on in the heads of their children or grandchildren. It says something about the sorry state of mental health provision in this country that I receive quite so many: these parents are normally finding it hard to communicate not just with their kids, but also the services who are supposed to be helping them.
[For more on this story by BRYONY GORDON, go to https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ch...alth-crisis-parents/]
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