Adam Peaty teams up with CALM in the second series of ‘Deal With It’ to give young people practical mental health tips.
Suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) has collaborated with triple Olympic Champion Adam Peaty in the second series of ‘Deal With It’
Content creators David Zakwan, Jack Darlin, Sophie Jones, and Barney Orchard feature across the films to discuss their experiences of dealing with the pressures of social media, rejection, career progression and sexuality.
The series is launched after the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey shows that 1 in 4 people now report having experienced suicidal thoughts in their lifetime, up from 1 in 5 ten years ago. These worrying increases are driven by younger people between the ages of 16-34 who report the highest rates of suicidal ideation*
Coinciding with the new series, CALM is also adding four new animations to its Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) TIPP skills hub. The videos show practical skills and tools to help young people manage their mental health: S.T.O.P., Mindful Breathing, Grounding and Body Scan.
‘Deal With It’ is generously funded by ICAP Charity Day and The Roger Raymond Charitable Foundation, and produced by Biscuit
Images can be downloaded here and videos here.
London, August 2025 - Suicide prevention charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), has collaborated with triple Olympic Champion Adam Peaty for the second series of ‘Deal With It’ - a video campaign showcasing practical tools to help young people navigate whatever life throws at them.
In four brand new chats, Adam Peaty is joined by creators Barney Orchard, David Zakwan, Jack Darlin, and Sophie Jones, with each episode spotlighting an honest, peer-to-peer conversation between a young creator and Adam.
An Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth champion, Adam Peaty spoke openly about his battles with mental health ahead of winning his sixth Olympic medal in Paris last summer.
Coinciding with the new series, CALM has added four new animations to its Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) TIPP skills hub, showcasing practical skills and tools to help young people manage their mental health: S.T.O.P., Mindful Breathing, Grounding and Body Scan.
Adam Peaty said: “It's been a real privilege to work on ‘Deal With It’ alongside Barney, David, Jack, and Sophie. Having conversations about difficult emotions, learning skills and practical tools to help deal with them, is hugely important, especially for young people who find themselves faced with huge levels of pressure and change. I hope this series can be a helpful introduction to managing your mental health and dealing with what life can throw at you.”
Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM, added: “Young people can find this time of year particularly difficult, whether that’s dealing with the pressure of exam results, navigating moving home for the first time or simply trying to find where they fit in the world. You aren’t taught how to deal with and talk about emotions that arise from what life can throw at you. ‘Deal With It’ wants to change that by showcasing practical skills that can make a real difference to young people's lives.
Suicide is now the leading killer of young people in this country, so it’s vital we find ways to intervene. We’re hugely grateful to Adam for using his platform to make a real difference, and to Barney, David, Jack, and Sophie for being so generous in sharing their own experiences.”
Building on the first series, which featured one of Team GB’s most decorated Olympians Sir Bradley Wiggins CBE and his son Ben Wiggins, ‘Deal With It’ aims to help young people recognise relatable emotional struggles and show how to manage them. The skills incorporate temperature, intense exercise, paced breathing and paired muscle relaxation and were developed to help people stay calm, make better choices, understand their emotions and improve their relationships.
A member of 5ive Guys FC, over 75 million views across platforms, Barney Orchard explores the pressure of social media, where constant comparisons to others can make you feel like you’re falling behind.
David Zakwan, whose running content boasts over 10 million views on TikTok, speaks on the weight of societal expectations around career, success, and milestones — and the fear of falling behind.
Known for his comic reaction videos, Jack Darlin talks about the pressure of navigating the world as a young gay man: the complex, ongoing journey of discovering, accepting, and expressing your identity.
Sophie Jones, best known for her Rejection Therapy series, which averages over 100,000 views, explores the pressure to look, dress, and present yourself in a way that fits a specific, often unrealistic ideal.
The series was developed in response to the youth suicide crisis and aims to reclaim the comment people too often hear when facing a tough situation: ‘deal with it’, instead encouraging conversation to deal with how we react to the stuff that life throws at you.
The new initiative comes as suicide rates in the UK are at their highest for more than 20 years**, with the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey*, published in June 2025, reporting that suicidal thoughts have increased across the population since the last survey was published in 2014. 1 in 4 people now report having experienced suicidal thoughts in their lifetime, up from 1 in 5 ten years ago. These worrying increases are driven by younger people between the ages of 16-34 who report the highest rates of suicidal ideation.
Unfortunately, this rise is matched by an increase in suicide attempts. Since 2000, the number of people claiming to have made a suicide attempt in the past year doubled, while 1 in 13 have now made a suicide attempt during their lifetime - around 3.6 million adults living in England*.
Visit thecalmzone.net to learn more about ‘Deal With It’ and the skills included in the series.
Deal With It was made possible thanks to funding from ICAP Charity Day and The Roger Raymond Charitable Foundation. The series was produced by Biscuit.
Need help? Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) hosts a life-saving suicide prevention helpline and provides vital online mental health resources for anyone who needs them. Visit www.thecalmzone.net.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
*The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) series provides data on the prevalence of both treated and untreated psychiatric disorder in the English adult population (aged 16 and over). This survey is the fifth in a series and was conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, in collaboration with the University of Leicester and City St George's, University of London, for NHS England.
More information here: https://www.thecalmzone.net/calm-apms-statement
**Office for National Statistics, Suicides in England and Wales: 2023 registrations
About Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM):
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a suicide prevention charity fighting to reduce the devastating impact of suicide in the UK. They run a life-saving helpline for anyone affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts. It’s free, anonymous and open from 5 pm to midnight every day.
Their website has loads of tools and resources packed with practical, non-clinical advice to make talking and managing mental health easier.
CALM also run vital campaigns to increase awareness, smash stereotypes, and change the culture around mental health and suicide.
