As winter is approaching and we often look forward to the dark nights, it is a time of year that people often experience low moods, so I have included some facts on depression and the importance of taking care of our own mental health.

Unipolar Depression (Low Moods) in teenagers
Moods are a natural reaction to personal situations or events. Even unpleasant moods like anger or sadness are useful and can help us come to terms with a difficult situation, or prompt us to change something in our lives that is wrong. However when unpleasant moods start to affect thoughts and feelings and interfere with everyday life, a person may be experiencing depression. Depression occurs most frequently during the teens and old age and as many as 20% of teenagers have at least mild depression.

Signs of depression
Watch out for changes that last longer than two weeks in the following areas of a young person‘s life.

• MOODS… "I can‘t be bothered what‘s the point"… Moods can range from crying a lot for little or no apparent reason to appearing overly tense and anxious in dealing with everyday situations.
• THINKING…"What do you care anyway?...you‘d be better off without me!".. Watch out for negative thinking and viewing everything as hopeless, feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness.
• BEHAVIOUR…"I can‘t stand this anymore…there is no point anyway".. They may become generally apathetic towards life, changing eating patterns, losing interest in relationships, school work or appearance.
• PHYSICAL…You may notice a change in their sleeping pattern or energy levels. They may complain if aches and pains, which have no physical cause and may involve frequent visits to the doctor.

What causes depression?
Something upsets the chemicals in the brain that controls the moods. This could be one or a combination of the following:
Hereditary e.g. if a parent or relative has experienced it
Life experiences e.g. bereavement, bullying, abuse, illness, family problems.
Personality e.g. how an individual thinks or feels about themselves, as well as how they have been supported through a crisis.

The dangers of not doing anything!
If depression goes untreated, the young person may turn to alcohol or drugs to try to escape from the distressing feelings. Feelings may also lead the young person to engage in self-harm and the risk of suicide also increases.

Help and support…
Worried about a young person?