Samaritan rap song aims to rally young over mental health problems

A NEW rap song encouraging young people to speak about problems and mental health issues has been released by the Samaritans.

The song, 1 in 10 (Talk to Someone), was recorded by students at a school in Sunderland in England and was inspired by the suicide of a 19-year-old man named Daniel Smith in 2005. According to the Samaritans, suicide is the biggest killer of young men under the age of 35 and about one in 10 young people experiences a mental health problem each year.

Mr Smith's mother, Shirley Smith, said: "The sadness and ache in our hearts is unbearable at times but we made a conscious decision after Dan's death to tell our story, to try to encourage young people to talk about their problems, not to keep them bottled up so they destroy you."

Funds raised from the song will go to support the work of the Samaritans and Comic Relief's campaign to combat mental health stigma. It will be available from Monday for download on iTunes.