Worthing teenagers offered mental health support for exam results

Teenagers waiting for exam results in Worthing are being offered free mental health support through a confidential text service, with young people who feel overwhelmed, anxious or stressed able to text SUSSEX to 85258 to connect with a trained mental health professional.

The 24-hour service is delivered by Shout and is particularly popular with teenagers and young adults. Dr Oliver Dale, chief medical officer for Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, said some anxiety while waiting for results was normal but encouraged young people to seek support if those feelings became overwhelming. Between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026, the service supported more than 16,000 text conversations from people in Sussex, with stress, worry and low mood among the most common reasons for making contact.

Young people are also being encouraged to use coping techniques while dealing with exam-related anxiety, including square breathing and sensory distractions. Suggested exercises include identifying things they like to see, touch, hear and smell. The SUSSEX text service is free, confidential and available around the clock for people seeking professional mental health support.