Everybody has feelings – like feeling happy, sad, surprised or angry. Sometimes feelings can be really big or last for a long time. This can make them difficult to cope with. When feelings are too hard to cope with, they might be called a mental health issue.
What is it like for siblings?
Lots of siblings get on with their brother or sister who has a mental health issue. Sometimes you might play together or hang out. They might make you smile or laugh.
Other times, it can be hard. You might feel sad or angry that your brother or sister is having a difficult time with their feelings. You might feel frustrated and want them to feel like you do. It’s OK for you to feel lots of different things.
What causes it?
Sometimes people get mental health issues because of something very difficult that happened to them. Sometimes we don’t know why people get mental health issues. It’s usually because of lots of different things all put together.
What helps?
Just like you can help your body to be healthy, you can help your mind to be healthy too. There are lots of things that can help mental health issues.
- There are things we can do ourselves. Like talking to a grown up or drawing a picture about how we feel.
- There are things other people can help with. Like talking to a counsellor or taking tablets from a doctor.
Are you worried that your brother or sister has a mental health issue? Talk to a grown up that you trust and tell them how you feel. You deserve to have help and not worry about this on your own.
This has been read and approved for publication by Dr Georgia Pavolopoulou, Psychotherapist and Associate Professor, University College London on 14.04.26 and will be reviewed and updated every 4 years.