What is depression?
People sometimes say they’re ‘depressed’ when they’re having a bad day, but depression is more than that – it’s when those low feelings are there for a long time and start to have a really big impact on your life.
Young people can suffer from depression just like adults do, so if sad feelings and emotions are taking over your life then ask for help. You can read more about the symptoms of depression here. You can also read advice about how CAMHS can help with clinical depression here.
This short video from the World Health Organisation shows more about what it can be like to live with depression:
How can I get help?
If you’ve been feeling down for a while, or it has been affecting your life in a serious way, you should visit your doctor. If you’re scared about going by yourself, you could ask a friend, parent or carer to go with you. Your doctor will be able to find out if you have depression and talk you through the types of treatment that could help you. Our Starting Conversations guide has advice in it to help if you're worried about how to talk to your doctor
If you're feeling low, you can also:
- Check out things you can start doing to lift your mood
- Find help from organisations, services and online. You can find some of the most useful videos, websites and contact numbers below and on our What's in Dorset for me page.
