What if, she was still here? Would she still be the same
Aunt Julie?
Depression. What comes to mind when you hear this word? Has
a family member suffered from depression or one of your friends? Individuals deal with
depression differently according to what they feel fit however depression does
not only affect and hurt the individual who is going through it but also
effects the people around them which can leave a very big impact in their life.
Today I am going to be talking about a teenager whom name I am going to keep
anonymous and how someone in her family dealt with depression and her own
story. In this article I will be referring to the teenager as Lauren. Lauren is
currently 16 years old about to turn 17. She is very full of life, active,
fun girl who is currently on her summer holidays waiting for her GCSE results.
Lauren wants to study music, art and drama at college.
Lauren had a very happy childhood however on July 20th 2004
someone who was very close to Lauren had passed away. Her auntie Julie. Julie
had committed suicide when Lauren was only 8 years old and when Julie had
passed away it left a big dent in Laurens life in the way that her family acted
and her view on depression itself. As the years went on Julie was spoken about
occasionally within family conversations, however as Julies anniversary went
past, Lauren could not help to wonder how life would have been like if she and
her Aunt Julie was around and what she would be like. From these constant thoughts
Lauren had slowly drifted into grief but pulled herself out of it. After
experiencing this during her Junior year she decided she wanted to create
awareness of depression and felt that it needed to be done in justice of her
Auntie Julie.
Gathering friends, Lauren planed a convocation which would
be held at a variety of different high schools including her own and this was
the first project that Lauren had conducted herself and was socially done. The
project was called Down with Depression which included 50 hours of planning and
fundraising of $2000 however Lauren wanted to make sure that during these talks
she would educate and inform the audience of how she felt losing her auntie and
depression in general and this overall had a very big impact on the wide number
of audiences she was educating. There is a variety of different ways from which
you are able to get help including support groups. In order to be referred to a
support group you will have to be referred by your GP. Therefore book an
appointment and talk to your GP. All the information/your chat that will stay
private between you and your doctor and they will talk through the process step
by step and will take it at your pace. The purpose of talking to someone
whether you know them or not or going to a support group is so you know as a
individual that you are not alone and you do not have to go through what you
are feeling alone. Not only can you go to the doctors, there are a variety of
other options that are available such as support groups online which are easily
accessible or forums which can also help.
Now I know it isn’t
easy to talk to someone about what you are feeling but with something like
depression the only way to feel better is to talk to someone whether it is a
teacher, family member, friends or even a GP or a online group. Everyone around
is there to help you in your time of need and if you feel that you can’t talk
to them then there are always a variety of different ways that you can get
access to help. If you do choose to go to a support group or get any help at
all don’t feel like you should not go because your embarrassed because at the
end of the day, there are people to help you and if you have access to help
then you should use it because some people were too scared to go get help/ask
for it .
Imagine if this was your child. How would you feel? You would feel as if you have let your child down as it was your responsibility to make sure they are okay. Depression can happen to anyone of any age which would have an effect on that person or even if someone in the family suffers from depression it can affect the people around them. Depression is not something that happens overnight, it is something that accumulates over time. So are there any signs as to know when someone has got depression? There are a variety of different common signs which you may already know about such as sudden mood changes, not socialising, more sleep, loss of an appetite. In general parents think that the symptoms that are mentioned are common for teenagers to do. As much as this can be argued for yes and no these are the most common ones. There are a variety of more which you can find out via online, leaflets and your local GP. This is why it is very important for you to have a good bond with your child/children so they feel as if they can talk to you about anything and feel completely confident.
This is a very
inspirational story that we should all considered. You are not alone with
depression and if you need any help there are a variety of different ways you
can get help. Depression is not something to be ashamed off, it is very common
and getting the right help will help in you leading a normal, happy life.
Depression does not define you!
Depression:
https://www.mind.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/depression-alliance/
https://www.childline.org.uk/
https://youngminds.org.uk/
https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/
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