Advice and resources : Depression in young people

Depression affects different people in different ways. Symptoms might include:

• Being moody and irritable, feeling easily upset, ‘ratty’ or tearful, miserable or lonely
• Becoming withdrawn, avoiding friends, family and regular social activities, not wanting to do things you previously enjoyed
• Feeling guilty or bad, being self-critical and self-blaming, disliking or hating yourself
• Feeling unhappy, miserable and lonely a lot of the time
• Feeling hopeless and maybe wanting to harm yourself or even die
• Finding it difficult to concentrate
• Not looking after your personal appearance
• Sleeping more or less than normal
• Feeling tired, not having any energy
• Not interested in eating, eating more or less than normal
• Suffering from aches and pains, such as headaches or stomach aches
• Feeling you’re not worthy or good looking

Just because you experience one or more of these symptoms doesn’t mean you’re definitely affected by depression. If you have all or most of these signs and have had them over a long period of time, it might mean you’re depressed, and you might find it difficult to talk about how you’re feeling.

Many young people get better with support and understanding. If the depression is dragging on and causing serious difficulties, it's important to seek treatment. Sometimes when you’re feeling low, you might want to use drugs or alcohol to forget your feelings. You might see no hope and feel like running away from it all. Doing this only makes the situation worse. When this happens, it’s important to let others know and get help.

Talk to your parents, GP or school staff. They can advise in various ways, for example, how long you should try self-help, when you should be referred on for further help, what services are available, such as local counselling services and the local ’Child and adolescent mental health service’ (CAMHS).

If your depression is very severe you can refer yourself to our services. In emergencies, you should always call 999.

If you have concerns about suicidal thoughts or self-harm there is more information on our pages on self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

If you need to speak to someone, you can call:

• Samaritans 116 123  (free confidential 24 hour helpline)
• Childline 0800 11 11 (free confidential 24 hour helpline for young people up to the age of 19)

Understanding anxiety, depression and CBT course

Anxiety and depression are terms discussed widely, in different media and amongst family and friends. But what do those labels actually mean? Local colleagues from the University of Reading are running a 5 week online course which is open to anyone who wants to understand more. You'll explore what it means to have anxiety or depression and how they are identified. The course will also demonstrate the leading evidence-based treatment–Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

This course is not intended to be a self-help treatment for anyone experiencing anxiety or depression, nor can it be used to formally diagnose yourself or anyone else but it will help you to understand more about these conditions and how they might be experienced by family, friends, etc.

The course can be accessed on the Future Learn website.