Mental Health: It's Time To Talk

Teenage depression - Family Lives If your teenager is showing signs of depression, you may find yourself wondering whether it's 'just a phase' or something more serious. On average, three young people in every classroom are affected by mental health problems like depression. Many go undiagnosed and never get the help they need. Mental health problems cause more early deaths than either heart disease or cancer. Many teenagers are particularly vulnerable to depression, caused by the huge number of biological and social changes going on in their life, along with other factors like money worries and family breakdown. What does depression feel like? Trust me – you really don’t want to know This is Depression Awareness Week, so it must be hoped that during this seven-day period more people will become more aware of a condition that a minority experience, and which most others grasp only remotely – confusing it with more familiar feelings, such as unhappiness or misery. This perception is to some extent shared by the medical community, which can’t quite make its mind up whether depression is a physical “illness”, rooted in neurochemistry, or a negative habit of thought that can be addressed by talking or behavioural therapies. I’m not concerned about which of these two models is the more accurate. I’m still not sure myself. My primary task here is to try to explain something that remains so little understood as an experience – despite the endless books and articles on the subject.

Jack Green: GB hurdler on depression & the American dream By Tom Reynolds BBC Sport "I am a runner. I have depression. I still believe I can be the best in the world." Jack Green has never wanted for talent or self-belief. 7 ways to practice emotional first aid You put a bandage on a cut or take antibiotics to treat an infection, right? No questions asked. In fact, questions would be asked if you didn’t apply first aid when necessary.