A Langford footballer has explored the struggles of mental health issues facing children and teenagers today in her biographical Ebook, The Unseen Battle: One young footballer’s struggle off the pitch.
Eighteen-year-old Ruth Fox has published the book to Amazon, and has sold 120 copies so far. In the book, details the lessons and struggles she has been faced with.
She writes on her online synopsis: “Every person you meet has their own story. My story reflects the harsh reality of what mental illness can do to somebody’s seemingly ideal life; an athlete, a high achieving student, a sister, a friend.
“I hope it can make an impact on somebody and I truly hope that person is you.”
The Cambridge United Women’s FC player says she wants her message to reach as many people as possible.
She told the Comet: “I originally started writing it for myself – I have been through some difficult times with my mental health and I wanted to get it all down on paper to come to terms with it.
“There’s some dark things in there where I talk about self harm and contemplating suicide so it does get quite harrowing to read.
“After reading it to my parents I thought it needed to reach a wider audience because people never know what’s happening behind closed doors and it needs to be spoken about.
“I’m not doing this because I want to be a published author, I just want to spread the word as much as I possibly can.”
Ruth’s determination to spread the word and open up about her struggles comes as Herts County Council’s JustTalk campaign to encourage young people to speak about mental health issues and internal struggles reaches schools across the county.
When asked what more could be done to support young people with problems relating to mental health, she said: “I think for depression there is a lot of gaps within the services. For example, when I turned 18 I should have been referred to the adult services but wasn’t. Often people just get left off lists.
“There also needs to be a greater understanding of what it’s like to go through it.
“My advice would be to definitely talk to someone you trust. I opened up to my school Biology teacher – most break times he would help me through the days and would keep an eye out for me.”
You can find Ruth’s story on Amazon at amazon.co.uk/dp/B079DFFQ9Y.
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