EastEnders has announced that it has been working with the charities Alumina, Mind and Samaritans in the UK as part of a new self-harm storyline involving the teenage character Amy Mitchell, played by Ellie Dadd.
Announcing the storyline, the BBC said: "In recent weeks, viewers have seen Amy struggle as she faces mounting pressures that have left her feeling isolated from her family and friends.
"Things are set to get worse for the teen as she finds herself battling with her father over her new relationship, which soon breaks down when a nasty rumour about the couple spreads around the school.
"Struggling to cope, Amy's mental health continues to deteriorate, and it soon transpires that Amy has been self-harming.
"As the storyline progresses, viewers will also see the impact of Amy's mental health on her family and loved ones, and highlight the ways in which they come to terms with self-harm and learn to support Amy as effectively as possible."
Chris Clenshaw, Executive Producer, EastEnders, said it "was really important for us to explore a storyline focused on Amy's mental health challenges".
"We wanted to ensure the story was portrayed with utmost care, which is why working alongside charities such as Alumina, Mind and Samaritans was essential in ensuring it was depicted as sensitively and accurately as possible," he added.
Jenny Cavendish, Project Co-Manager at the self-harm charity Alumina, said: "Storylines like Amy's are so important, as they can help communicate the emotions felt by the young person and their family when faced with self-harm.
"We value how sensitively this storyline has been portrayed, whilst also expressing the variety of feelings both Amy and those around her experience.
"As portrayed on EastEnders, we believe seeking support is vital to living a life free from self-harm and hope others will benefit from seeing how sensitively this is handled by the family.
"At Alumina, we always recommend young people reach out to those around them to help them access the help they need."
Alex Bushill, Head of Media and PR at the mental health charity Mind, said: "When people see mental health problems portrayed sensitively and accurately on screen, it can help to raise awareness and encourage audience members to spot the signs if they or loved ones are experiencing a mental health problem themselves.
"That's why it is great to see EastEnders dedicating airtime to exploring such an important issue. We know there is a mental health crisis in young people with one in six experiencing a mental health problem.
"I hope Amy's story helps highlight that self-harming is all too real, it's not attention seeking, or something to be dismissed, and that every young person deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
"We also hope it highlights safe ways for people to look after themselves if they are harming themselves to cope with difficult feelings."
Lorna Fraser, Media Advisory Executive Lead at Samaritans in the UK, said: "The utmost care needs to be taken around stories involving self-harm, but sensitive portrayals, which depict a character overcoming difficult moments and show hopeful recovery, can provide encouragement for others to reach out for help.
"Young people, especially women around Amy Mitchell's age, are most likely to consider self-harm, so we were pleased to help a hugely popular soap like EastEnders to maximise the positive impact of her story.
"Hopefully, Amy's storyline will help start meaningful conversations around mental health and self-harm, which is a major public health concern."
If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, please visit: www.rte.ie/helplines.
EastEnders airs on RTÉ One and BBC One Monday to Thursday.
