Help reduce US youth suicide

October is Depression Awareness Month

• 11.01% of youth (age 12-17) report suffering from at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year.
• 7.4% of youth (or 1.8 million youth) experienced severe depression. 
• Youth mental health problems are on the rise, and 6 out of 10 young people with major depression do not receive ANY mental health treatment.

         Excerpts from Mental Health America’s annual report on annual State of Mental Health Report Oct 2016.                    

ReachOut.com has many fact-sheets and real stories that give youth support and resources to get help. As October is Depression Awareness Month, here are some highlights from one of our most visited pages (http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/depression-causes-types-and-symptoms):

Depression is a mental disorder that is more severe and longer-lasting than normal sadness. Depression interferes with other aspects of your life, like work, school, or relationships. With the right kind of treatment, many people can overcome it and lead happy, healthy lives.

Common symptoms across all types of depression include:

• Sadness that won’t go away;
• Boredom;
• Feeling irritable or anxious;
• Loss of interest in usual hobbies and activities;
• Loss of appetite;
• Irregular sleeping habits;
• Unexplained outbursts of yelling or crying;
• Reckless or risky behavior like alcohol and drug abuse.

Everyone feels or acts like this from time to time. But for people experiencing depression, the feelings might be more severe and constant-they don’t go away over time and they’re not easily explainable. There are different types of depression, each of them have their own symptoms, causes, and treatments. 

If you think you or someone you know might be experiencing depression, talk to your doctor, counselor or other mental health professional. These professionals can help you sort through your feelings, make a diagnosis, and provide you with the support for managing your depression.

Depression management and treatment: http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/depression-management-and-treatment-options

Myths and misperceptions on depression: http://us.reachout.com/facts/factsheet/setting-the-record-straight-about-depression

Real teen story of living with depression: http://us.reachout.com/real-stories/story/jess

Please help!

Please share this report to raise awareness, share these resources with youth who might need it, or donate to ReachOut to continue to add resources, real stories and facts sheets for youth who are in need of help.

Thank you for your continued support! You ARE making a difference!

Links:

• ReachOut.com
• MHA Mental Health Report

• ReachOut.com (PDF)