About Dealing With Depression

Depression is an extreme low mood that lasts a long time and makes a person feel sad,

irritable or empty. Many people, including many teens, have suffered in this way. A

depressed person:

^ has much less energy to do activities

^ feels like nothing matters.

^ sees life in a negative way.

^ feels like it will never get better

But depressed people do get better and

depression does end. There are effective

treatments and self-help skills to deal

with depression. Health care professionals give

depression treatments, but you can learn selfhelp

skills and apply them to your own life. This

guide teaches a set of antidepressant skills you

can use to overcome depression. Sometimes the

skills can be used on their own, when the depression

isn’t too severe. Sometimes they have to be

used along with treatments by professionals.

Dealing with Depression is meant for teens who

have been coping with depressed mood. Some

of the things in this guide will make more sense

to younger teens and some will make more

sense to older ones. But check it out for yourself.

Decide which parts of this guide make sense for

your life. You might start by skimming it and

reading the stuff that is most interesting to you.

Take a look at the Table of Contents to get an

idea of what it’s about. When you are done

skimming you can go back to the start and work

through each section at your own pace. There

are no right or wrong answers and no tests!

Give yourself time and be patient; you can

return to sections or ideas at any time. If you

are reading this on a computer, save a copy for

later. Print any sections that you may want to

take with you. If you have a printed copy, keep

it somewhere private so you can read it on your

own time.

We’ve suggested things to do, write down or

think about. Try to think of situations or examples

that make the most sense for you. If there

are ideas that don’t make sense or that you are

not sure about, check with someone you trust.

It will be easier to learn the skills if you write

the exercises in each skill section. You can write

in the boxes we provide, in your own notebook

or in a computer document. If you’re nervous

about other people reading what you’ve written,

keep it private… but remember:

If you ever get thoughts

of harming yourself, tell

someone who can help.