Youngsters with mental health issues feel 'bullied by friends'
More than half of young people who experience stigma around mental health issues claim their own friends bully them.
Around 38% of 11 to 24-year-olds said they felt stigmatised over their mental health problems, a YMCA poll found.
A third claimed described themselves as bullied at least once a week, while 54% said this originated from their own friends.
Being left out of activities (54%) and verbal abuse (36%) made up a number of the complaints.
Most of those affected said the stigma damaged their school performance and confidence.
The YMCA is backing the #IAMWHOLE mental health campaign, fronted by celebrities including presenters James Corden and Dermot O'Leary and singer Ed Sheeran.
IAMWHOLE aims to change how people describe mental health issues and urges young people to seek support from their friends, parents, teachers, GPs or youth workers.
Denise Hatton, chief executive of YMCA England, said: "YMCA's research backs up conversations we have had with young people in which they have told us mental health is one of the principle worries affecting their generation today.
"What is alarming from these findings is the widespread stigma young people are now seeing or experiencing from others that is making them less likely to seek professional help".
At the same time, a poll for mental health charity MQ found that more than 49% of 1,200 youngsters aged eight to 15 thought a diagnosis of mental health problems might mean never getting better.
New figures from MQ also showed that mental health research funding across all age groups in the UK is just £8 per person affected each year.
MQ described this is 22 times less than that spent on cancer and 14 times less than dementia.
Cynthia Joyce, chief executive of MQ said: "We can no longer accept the status quo in mental health. Radical change is needed.
"If we don't take action now, this imbalanced situation will continue to let down millions of children and young people".