Supportive

Mental Health support for teens with depression with your peers can be a great way of overcoming challenges experiences without feeling like you’re completely on your own. But it’s important to know what will be good for you and what could be potentially damaging. “Build me up and I with you. For we are more one than two.” Deborah Day

Mental Health support for teenagers with depression.

What to look out for

Know your triggers

Stay away from the social media accounts that could trigger you. The accounts that talk about the problem all day and not the solutions are the kind to stay away from.

Identify the solution

Does your peer have:

1. A solution derived from experience? And
2. Someone who is helping them through their own difficulties?

 Get a second opinion

Ask and talk to more than one person, compile a list of solutions and methods to help you overcome whatever difficulties you might be facing. Be sure to get a diverse range of opinions. For example, someone who has fully recovered and never slipped up, someone who has recovered but maybe slipped up a few times, someone who has professional experience in your field. This way, you’ll be able to work out the ineffective methods and really get to the good advice.

Mental Health support

Mental Health support

Decide why ; Only you can make this decision. If you’re looking for advice that will ease change for the better, then look for someone who is relatable but has turned their lives around. Someone who is offering answers to your questions and can help guide you out of muddy waters. However, if you’re looking for someone who can listen to you, find someone who will listen objectively, someone who won’t rub their own difficulties off on you.

So where can you find peer advice and Mental Health support?

• The best place to find them is within your friend circle. Do your best to be an uplifting part of the team. It’s not your friend’s job to make you feel better, it’s yours. Not all friends offer the best or most sound advice and some of them are confusing terrible role models, Look for one you trust explicitly.
• Social Media. Twitter and Facebook have tons of options available to find peer support.
• Start a group of your own where you can all come together and do productive and supportive things. Find creative ways among yourselves to not only talk about the things that are bothering you, but about your goals for the future. Working with someone toward a goal can be very encouraging and inspiring.
• Teen advice/Peer Support websites are also a great place to get some good advice, many of them touch on the most critical issues and can offer good methods of dealing with the stress you may be going through. Some may not be equipped to deal with critical support, so if you feel you may need extra help, be sure to contact the website and ask them to point you in the right direction for professional help.

Mental Health support

Teen Talk and Teen Line are both great websites to take a look at. You’ll be among people of your own age who struggle with the same daily problems as you will. Remember, by helping someone else, you can help yourself too. Try to be a positive force for someone else too.