The Mental Health Continuum cont.
2. Bottom-right quadrant Stresses and life events can lead a young person’s mental health to deteriorate, which would move them into the bottom-right quadrant of the continuum. This is where a young person’s mental wellbeing is no longer positive, and they are struggling but haven’t received a diagnosis yet. Maybe they don’t realise they are unwell. Maybe they haven’t been able to access professional help, or help from those around them, or they don’t quite meet the criteria for a formal diagnosis. Young people in this quadrant may be overlooked if nobody has noticed their symptoms, their feelings, or that they might need help and support. 3. Bottom-left quadrant A young person who has received a diagnosis would sit in the bottom-left quadrant of the continuum. Here their mental health is not yet positive, but a diagnosis now allows them to access support and treatment. This will help them address their specific symptoms and challenges with the help of those around them. 4. Top-left quadrant If a young person receives appropriate support and treatment it is possible for them to move into the top-left quadrant of the continuum. This quadrant is where a young person can still have symptoms and a diagnosis but also ways of managing them – for example medication or coping strategies. This means that, overall, their mental health is positive. Young people with a diagnosis of a specific condition who are coping well and have positive mental health may no longer strictly qualify for this diagnosis based on assessment criteria. They may feel they cannot move from the top left quadrant to the top right quadrant due to the perceptions
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