Getting Support
'I was terribly lonely and confused. In the heart of me I guess I knew things weren't right, but there was no way I could admit that in my head. I was too proud to admit I could not cope, too proud to ask for help, too scared of what it might mean.'
- Frank Bruno
The hardest thing to do is to ask for the support we need, but this is a really important step to take. If you think you might have depression it is important that you get advice and support as soon as possible. This will stop the depression from becoming any worse and hopefully stop you feeling that you are alone. Here is a list of people that you may want to speak to.
Trusted Adult
GP - Good source of information & treatment
Organisations - Aware Defeat Depression
Phone Lines
Internet resources
A Trusted Adult
A trusted adult means someone that you trust, who will understand and won't judge you. This may be your parents or carer, or maybe another member of your family, like an aunt, uncle or grandparent. If you are still in school then there may be a teacher you like, the librarian, or perhaps the school nurse or counsellor. Perhaps you belong to a youth group or club where there is a particular youth leader who you feel you could talk to.
No matter who you pick, you will usually be surprised at how willing people are to listen!
When you speak to your Doctor they should be understanding and as long as you are over 14 they may be able to treat the information as
confidential. Different Doctors may have different views on this so you should ask your Doctor to see what they think.
Your Doctor will talk to you about how you are feeling and might ask about what is going on in your life at the moment. This will help them figure out whether you may have depression and what the best way to support you would be. A good idea is to write down what you want to say to the doctor as we often forget when we are nervous.
You may also want someone to go with you for moral support and this often makes it easier. You could ask parents / guardians, a close friend or other adult that you feel you can trust.
Remember if you do not want to see your family Doctor (perhaps your Doctor is male and you would prefer to speak to a female Doctor or vice versa) you can simply phone your Doctors surgery and ask to see another Doctor without giving reasons if you do not want to.
There are a number of different organisations in Northern Ireland that talk to people about their feelings and problems. These organisations will listen non-judgementally and all conversations are
confidential
(unless they feel you are in danger).
To find out more about these ask your family doctor or teacher for a list.
There are lots of telephone help-lines. Some people like helplines as you can be totally anonymous - you can't see the other person and they can't see you! The person on the other end of the phone should listen without judging you, and will help you to speak so don't worry about not really knowing what you will say.
Some help-lines include:
| Childline NI
| 08001111
| Freephone 24hrs
|
| Youthline
| 0808 808 8000
| Freephone Mon - Fri, 4 - 9pm
|
| Samaritans
| 08457 909090
| 24hrs / 7 days
|
| Aware Defeat Depression
| 0845 1202961
| Lo-Call, Mon - Fri, 10 - 4pm
|
Internet resources[^ top]
The internet is a good place to find out more information on depression and help available. We have had a look at the following sites and think they are good, but we cannot guarantee that all the information will be accurate.
www.reawake.com
www.mindbodysoul.gov.uk
www.mindout.net
www.depressioninteenagers.com
www.headsawayjustsay.com
www.nottheonlywayout.com
www.there-4-me.com
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