Depression
** This article may be triggering for some readers **
Why has Self-harm among children aged 9–12 in the UK doubled in 6 years, according to new analysis?
Why have about 7% of UK children attempted suicide by age of 17?
10% of children and young people (aged 5–16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem, yet 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.
Yes, self-harm or attempted suicide does not equal Depression but it most certainly is a recognised course of development if no appropriate intervention is offered.
Yes, the mental health services are overstretched and chronically underfunded.
The system is broken! It provides the best possible service under these circumstances.
However, this does not excuse that so many children and young people are failed so early on in their lives!
Unfortunately the current system operates more in the basis of what is economically viable and not what is most effective for the individual.
At the moment if a 5–11 year old child shows signs of “mild depression” at assessment, the first action point is so-called two weeks of “watchful waiting”.
This is not fair to the young person! It is invalidating, discouraging! It tells them, right now you don’t matter.
And this is why the numbers are worsening!
I believe that Depression is one of the nastiest mental health disorders. Partly because of the symptoms it comes with but also because Depression is significantly underestimated by the general population as well as mental health services.
Depression takes over slowly. It creeps into your life without you noticing at first (and even if you do notice mental health services are likely to turn you away). Depression slowly takes away joy in your life.
It will corrupt your thinking. Depression will kill all positive thoughts and feed you brain with negative thoughts, that will grow, multiply and become stronger, like weeds, every time you think them, or try not to think them. It’s a trap. You’ll be imprisoned by Depression.
But it doesn’t end here. Now you’re are so manipulated by Depression, it attacks your relationships with your friends and your family. It will make you withdraw from contact which again helps Depression to become even stronger.
Once Depression has latched on, it is much more difficult to fully eradicate it.
I believe that the current provision of treatment for Depression is not good enough to prevent development of serious depression, to ensure long-term reduction of symptoms, adequate support in case of “flare-ups” or to enable the individual in not only being symptom free but also leading a life of positivity.
The solution is individualised treatment! Individualised treatment is more sensitive to the needs of the person, it is more flexible in its theoretical approach (not everyone benefits from pure CBT), and frequency can be adjusted up and down, depending on the individual need!
Go online and find out more about Depression and the help that is available: https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/conditions/depression/
