PressRelease Embargoed: Monday 10th April 2000, 00:01 hours
Almost half of young people know of another young person
who has contemplated, attempted or committed suicide.
One in eight young people admit to having attempted or
contemplated taking their own life.
Resultsof a new NOP poll commissioned by the charity Depression Alliance raise graveconcerns over the effect of depression on young people. The study, launched at the start of NationalDepression Week (10-16th April) which this year is concentrating onDepression & Young People and backed by footballer Stan Collymore,highlights the growing number of young people turning to suicide as an escapefrom the pressures placed upon them.
The shocking results from the survey showed that almosthalf of young people (45%) know of another young person who has contemplated,attempted or committed suicide.Furthermore, one in eight (12%) admitted to having contemplated orattempted suicide themselves. It isestimated that two young people take their life every day with suicide beingresponsible for one-fifth of deaths in young people.
Depressionin young people is one of the most alarming and misunderstood aspects ofdepression. Depression in young peoplehas increased dramatically over recent years and the results of this surveyshow how common the condition is among young people. Although official figures suggest that depression will affectone in four people at some point in their lifetime, the results of this surveythrow this into doubt when it comes to todays young people. Of those who took part, one in three (31%)believed that they had already suffered from depression.
Disturbingly,many young people do not know what depression is, failing to recognise it as acondition that requires medical attention.Over a quarter of those interviewed (27%) believed that depression iseither a sign of mental weakness, an indication of an over emotional person ora phase that people can easily snap out of.Such tragic misconceptions stop young people from recognising or talkingabout their problems and in turn prevent them from receiving suitabletreatment.
Howeverwhen asked who they would talk to in times of trouble, 5% said that they wouldnot speak to anyone if they felt depressed, with 89% choosing not to talk totheir GP in the first instance. Evenmore distressing, only one in ten (13%) said they would turn to a parent,whilst a similar figure (10%) identified family and friends as the greatestcause of stress in their life. Otherfactors identified as great causes of stress were money, which was indicatedby almost a third (30%), followed by employment & career (25%) and exams& studies (16%). Interestingly, 3%stated their greatest cause of stress to be how other people viewed them.
Inresponse to the concerns raised by the survey, Depression Alliance
todaylaunch a new and innovative tool in their fight against depression
inyoung people, The Young Persons Guide to Stress.
TheGuide is tailored specifically for young people as well their parents,teachers, lecturers, friends and family to provide information and support tocounter the growing pressure placed upon the young. As well as providing traditional sources of guidance it alsoopens new doorways for young people to gain advice through the Internet and viae-mail.
AntonyTiernan, Campaigns Manager for Depression Alliance said:
Theresults of our survey are devastating.Not only do the results bring into doubt the official figures used todetermine the number of people affected by depression, they also highlight thenumber of young people whose lives are being darkened by suicide.
Itis the responsibility of parents, teachers, lecturers and young peoplethemselves to learn more about depression.Only through tackling the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding thecondition can we offer hope to the thousands of young people suffering fromdepression.
DrChris Manning, Advisor to Depression Alliance said:
Depressioncan be beaten. Along with medicines andtalking treatments there are many invaluable organisations offering support,advice and information for young people.More must be done to educate young people as well as their parents,teachers and lecturers if we are to prevent this needless waste of youngpromise. I would wholeheartedly suggestthat every parent makes a call to Depression Alliance and gets hold of TheYoung Persons Guide to Stress. Itmay be the most important call you ever make.
Youngpeople as well as their parents, teachers, lecturers and friends can obtainfree copies of The Young Persons Guide to Stress by calling DepressionAlliance on 0870 240 2822 (calls charged at national rate), or by e-mailinginformation@depressionalliance.org or on the Internet at www.depressionalliance.org.
1. National Depression Week isa time when organisations and charities join together to focus public,political and media attention on depression.