How can you help?
How many of us help our friends with depression?
Out of these people who said they had friends with depression, only one out of four of them helped their friends with support. And none of them told an adult, parent, or anyone who could get them help. When we asked them why they answered: “Because they may not want the help….last time I tried they got really angry”. The main reason they don’t do anything about it is they’re trying to do the best thing for their friends -- but will keeping a friend’s depression away from people who may be able to help really helping? This leads us onto our last question:
What can we do to help our friends (and ourselves)?
Talking to someone directly can be really, really hard. Because after holding in all these emotions and finally talking them out with someone requires a lot of strength and trust. So, if your friend or you are scared of complete confrontation, you can call helplines, such as the Samaritans, Childline, etc. And if your friend refuses to call them, you can call them. You may think that you are betraying your friend, but you are doing it for your own sake, because if YOU care for YOUR friend, then YOU are doing it for YOU. When you call them you can ask for help on how to comfort your friend and help them come out of their depression. Your friend or you can talk to one of your school’s designated safeguarding leaders. They are always there for you, and you can talk to them about anything.
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You can do something about it
We would like to end with the words of our school’s designated safeguarding leader, Mr. Mackenzie: “Depression isn’t something you can see like a broken leg, but it’s something that affects you on the inside”. And no matter what age you are, depression could affect you or someone you love, and you will have your own feelings about it. But remember that you can do something about it.