A GROUP of students have created a phone app in a bid to help eliminate stigma around mental health.

The Young Enterprise team at Colchester Royal Grammar School, made up of sixth form students, has just launched Th!nk.

Student Damisi Dare, who is one of those involved in the project, said the aim was to ban bad talk of mental health, particularly amongst teenagers.

Damisi said: “We want to provide an informative source to increase awareness of the ever worsening issue of mental health within our generation.

“We feel strongly the more information people gain about mental health, the better help they can both access and give which simultaneously eliminates stigma.

“The Th!nk app features personalised blogs written by our team, a weekly topical podcast, catalogues of information as well as the ability to ask us questions which may feature in our blog or podcast, and a selection of playlists tailored for your mood.”

Economics teacher Nigel Stephen said the project has been inspiring.

He said: “The students came up with the idea for the app themselves.

“They feel strongly about this topic. On one of the podcasts a member of the team speaks openly about her experience with mental health, it’s very powerful and a very brave thing to do.”

The school also trains student listeners to offer support for people experiencing mental health problems and there is an anonymous email address people can use.

However, the app will be a more innovative way to seek help.

The main purpose of the app is to provide self-help resources and tips to support others who are struggling.

Mr Stephen said: “The students have been working on this since last September.

“They have fundraised through cake sales and Easter egg hunts and have put shares in themselves.

“They can buy into software to create the app but there was no outside help with the design or content.”

Damisi added: “Mental health can affect anyone and should be taken seriously.

“We hope to do our part in helping as many people as we can. We really believe our app can help a lot of people who really need it.”

The app is free and can be downloaded from Google Play, for android phones.

To listen to the podcast search for Think_YE on Soundcloud.

The app will be entered into the Young Enterprise Company of the Year competition, which rewards schools which come up with innovative ideas.