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Royals Shine Spotlight On Mental Health

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince Harry are quickly becoming global ambassadors for mental health, a leading charity has told Sky News.

To mark World Mental Health Day William and Kate have attended an event run by charities Mind and Time To Change .

They met young people who have battled their own mental health problems, and watched a training session designed to encourage people to talk about their issues.

Sue Baker, director at Time To Change, told Sky News: "There is a stigma to mental health problems in almost every culture in every society globally, so having two high profile royal visitors will allow that message to get out globally.

"It's not just people in our country will see them openly supporting mental health and having conversations, it's got the potential to have global influence as well.

Jessica Kwamin, who tried to commit suicide twice when she was 17, got a chance to share her experiences with the Duke and Duchess.

Speaking to Sky News she said: "I overdosed on pills while I was in school. I think that in itself was the ultimate cry for help. I was in a place full of people and felt that nobody cared about me."

Nicola Mattocks is now studying to become a mental health nurse, but during her school days she heard voices and found it difficult to find anyone who would understand.

She said: "I was self harming and doing really risky things that put my life in danger, and I eventually thought 'hang on no one else does this why am i doing this?'.

"My family then noticed and said you really need to talk to someone, but even then it took a while to get help."

Currently one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year, with half of mental health issues starting before someone reaches the age of 14.

New research from Time To Change also found that nearly a third of people in England would not feel uncomfortable even asking someone close to them about their mental health.

The charity has now launched "the small things" campaign to highlight the little actions that everyone can do to support those who need help.

Highlighting mental health issues has become a priority for William, Kate and Harry with all of them making public appearances this month with a link to the cause.

They are also carrying out private visits away from the cameras to learn more about the difficulties people are facing when it comes to sharing their problems.