8/3/2019 Youth - And Depression

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Everyone feels sad or miserable

sometimes. But when these feelings

are with you most of the time, you

stop enjoying life and lose interest

in things you used to like doing, you

may have depression. The good news

is that getting the right type of help,

and getting it early, can make it much

easier for you get back on track and

deal with depression.

WHAT IS DEPRESSION ANDWHO CAN GET IT?

Depression is more than just eeling upset or sad. It’s

a serious illness that leaves you eeling down most o

the time and fnding it hard to cope rom day to day.

 Around 160,000 young people aged 16-24 years live with

depression,1 so it’s a common illness. Girls are more likely

than boys to get depression, but boys oten fnd it harder

to talk about their eelings and get help.

WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION?

It’s not easy to say exactly what causes depression

– it’s dierent or each person. Sometimes a difcult

time in your lie can set o depression and sometimes

it’s caused by combinations o things that build up

over time. Sometimes, there is no obvious cause at all.

 A difcult experience, such as the loss o someone close

to you, may lead to depression. Or it might make you more

likely to have depression i other things go wrong when

you’re older. Other negative things – like being abused or

bullied, eeling that you are doing badly at work or school,

or having bad experiences with your amily (especially

when you were young) – can all increase your chance o

getting depression.

I one, or both, o your parents have depression, your

chance o also having depression is higher, especially i

you are a girl. At the same time, i you have a amily history

o depression, that doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily

experience depression too.

Regardless o what causes depression, it’s a real illness.

I you have depression, you need treatment and a plan to

help you recover.

IS IT DEPRESSION?

 You may be experiencing depression

i or MORE THAN TWO WEEKS you:•havefeltsad,downormiserable, 

or irritable most o the time

•havelostinterestorenjoymentin nearly all o your usual activities.

 You might also be:

•notdoingsowellatwork,school or university and/or

•experiencingchangesinyour relationships with amily and riends.

I this applies to you, and you alsohave FOUR OR MORE o the ollowingsymptoms, you may have depression:

•youhavelostorgainedlotsofweight

•youfeelrestless,agitatedorslowed down

•youhavelostalotofenergyand eel tired all the time

•younditdifculttoconcentrate or make up your mind

•youfeelworthlessorguilty

•youfeelthatlifeisnotworthliving.

DEPRESSION

IN YOUNGPEOPLE

 Visit:  www.youthbeyondblue.comIno line: 1300 22 4636beyondblue: the national depression initiative 

PAGE 1 OF 2Youthbeyondblue Fact sheet 1

8/3/2019 Youth - And Depression

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KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

The ollowing tips can help to stop you

rom getting depressed and help you stayhealthy i you are depressed.

•Talkaboutyourfeelingsandemotions.

•Spendtimeandstayconnectedwithpeople you like and trust.

•Ifyouthinkyouaredepressed,takeactionearly.

•Eatahealthyandvarieddiet.

•Stayphysicallyactive.

•Taketimeouttodosomethingyouenjoy.•Don’tstress(ordon’tstresstoomuch).

•Getenoughsleep.

•Avoiddrinkingalcoholortakingdrugs.

•Rememberthatsomedayswillbebetter than others.

SeeingaGeneralPractitioner(GP)isagoodstartwhen

you’re ater help and inormation. A doctor can help

you work out i what you are eeling is depression and

helpyoutoplanhowtogetthroughit.Thismayinvolve

organising talking (psychological) therapy, to help you tochange the negative thinking that comes with depression

or deal with any hassles you may be having with amily

andfriends.Thedoctormayalsotalktoyouaboutother

ways to tackle depression, such as stress management

and tips on how to improve your sleep patterns.

For some people, the doctor may think that an

antidepressant is also necessary, but only i the

depression is severe or it isn’t improving with

other treatments.

Therearemanythingsthatcanhelpyourecover. 

Evenifyoudon’tfeellikeit,it’simportanttostayactive

andplanwhatyou’regoingtodoeachday.Thesecan 

be little things, like going to the movies, talking to a

friendorcompletingpartofanassignment.Trytoinclude

thingsthatyouenjoyinyourdailyplan.Atrst,youmay

notenjoythemasmuchasyoudidbefore,butifyou 

keep active, with time you’ll probably like them again.

It’s also important to stay physically active, eat healthily

andgetplentyofsleep.Trynottodrinkortakedrugs–

‘blocking out’ how you’re eeling usually only makes

the problem worse.

Overcoming depression can take time, especially

i it has been around or a while and become part

o your way o lie.

05/09

 Visit:  www.youthbeyondblue.comIno line: 1300 22 4636beyondblue: the national depression initiative 

SOURCES This act sheet is based on inormation rom:

n 1 AustralianBureauofStatistics(2008).2007National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results (4326.0).Canberra:ABSFlemingGF(2007)Thementalhealthofadolescents.Assessmentandmanagement. Aust Family Physician  36(8):588–93.nGreatOrmondStreetHospital,Londonwww.childrenrst.nhs.uk  nheadspace(NationalYouthMentalHealthFoundation)www.headspace.org.aun Reach Out! www.reachout.com.au

PAGE 2 OF 2

TAKING ACTION

Depression is just like any other

illness – you need ways to get through

it and stop it happening again later

on. Some people think that it’s weak

to admit that they’re going through atough time. But if you have depression,

you can’t just ‘snap out of it’ or ‘pull

yourself together’. Keeping it to

yourself only makes things worse.

Start by talking to someone you trust

 – maybe a parent, teacher, school

counsellor, family member or friend.

MORE INFORMATIONAND SUPPORT

 You can speak to trained counsellorsby phoning these 24-hour telephonecounselling services:

Lieline 13 11 14 (cost o a local call)

Kids Help Line 1800 55 1800 (reecall)

Inormation and support is also availablerom the ollowing websites: 

beyondblue   www.youthbeyondblue.comor www.beyondblue.org.au

Inormation on depression, anxietyand how to help a riend

headspace www.headspace.org.au

Inormation, support and help near you

Reach Out! www.reachout.com.au

Inormation and support or young peoplegoing through tough times

The websites below can help you to fnd healthservices in your area. They list services that areeither ree o charge or low cost:

Kids Help Line www.kidshelp.com.au

Lieline Service Finder www.lieline.org.au/service_fnder

I you or a riend want to communicate withsomeone via email or online, Kids Help Lineoers confdential, non-judgemental, emotionalsupport 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

People who are depressed may be at risk o suicide,

and i so they need urgent help. Consult a doctor, the

emergency department o your local hospital or a mentalhealth proessional (like a psychologist or psychiatrist).