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Samaritans offers 24 hour support to anyone who is distressed but feels unable to talk to family, teachers or friends.

Stress about exams and exam results is one of the top reasons young people contact Samaritans and the emotional support charity is here to listen in confidence 24 hours a day to students waiting with bated breath for exam results over the next few weeks.

Hip hop group N-Dubz front girl Tulisa, a Samaritans supporter, said:  "Try not to put too much pressure on yourself; everyone is different and not everyone is going to get top grades in their exams. There are so many options out there for people - a variety of college courses to suit people with different academic abilities and career aspirations. I found school really difficult as I suffered depression as teenager but then I found my ambition was singing and realised it was something I could be good at so I worked hard and focused on that."

The build up to exam results can be a time filled with tension as young people contemplate their futures. Panic, anxiety, fear, guilt and despair are just some of the emotions that might be running through the minds of students. Managing these feelings can seem impossible, especially without the emotional release of having someone to talk and offload to.

Tonja Schmidt, spokesperson for Samaritans, said: "We need to move away from this fixation with exam results being the single most important factor in determining a young person's future success. Everyone has different skills and gifts and young people need to be reassured that there are a variety of different options available to them in life.

"It is also important that young people have the knowledge to identify potential signs of stress in themselves, so that they can take steps to improve their emotional health and seek support or help others to access it if they need it. Samaritans is there to offer support 24 hours a day to anyone who is distressed but feels unable to talk to family, teachers or friends."  

Samaritans has recently produced an online emotional health resource to help young people spot signs of stress in themselves and their friends. It offers guidance on how they can tell someone if they are struggling emotionally, how they can approach friends who they are worried about and things they can do to try and maintain good emotional health.  

An alternative version of the resource has also been developed for professionals working with young people to help them identify signs that might indicate a young person is in distress and how they can direct them to help and support.

Both resources can be downloaded on the Samaritans' website: www.samaritans.org/emotionalhealth

If you require hard copies of the emotional health resources mentioned please contact Claire Duncan Email c.duncan@samaritans.org, Tel: 0208 394 8345.