To mark National Youth Week 2011 from April 1 to April 10, VicHealth’s youth reporter Elisa Scarton tells a personal story about how her family has been affected by youth mental health problems and why it’s so important to get the message out to young people that help is available – and with the right treatment – people do recover.
My sister has anxiety and depression.
When they're written like that, these two illnesses sound so concise and manageable. But for Anita, the way she feels can hardly be summed up in two words.
“I don't really know how to explain it. I'd just turned 17 when I started to feel like nothing was really worth doing,” she says.
“I didn't see the point in hanging out with my friends or family. I didn't want to go to school. I just remember thinking all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and never get out again. Things go pretty desperate.”
Despite this, it took my mum, my brother and I three years to convince Anita to see a doctor.
It wasn't because she didn't realise she needed help. She did.
In 2007, the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing found only one in four young people with mental health problems sought professional medical help.
My sister was simply part of the 75 per cent who don't because of monetary problems, guilt, fear, denial or a multitude of other reasons.
In the four years since the survey, mental health experts say this figure hasn't changed.
Common occurrence
The fact is that people aged 18-24 are the most likely to experience a mental illness. One in four young people will experience a mental illness at some stage. For most, it'll be anxiety or depression or a combinational both.
Clinical child and adolescent psychologist Dr Simon Crisp says the changes and difficulties faced in adolescence and young adulthood can be particularly hard.
“About 10 per cent of the population is born with a sensitive temperament, which makes them more anxious and less capable of handling stress,” he says.
“For the rest of adolescent population, going to high school or university can be a harrowing experience. They have to deal with bullying, making new friends, and handling new situations, relationships and workloads.
“Then there are those who experience some sort of grief, a death in the family or their parents' separation. It doesn't take some big catastrophic event. Just one of these things, if not dealt with properly, can lead to depression and anxiety.”
For my sister, getting stuck in a elevator on a family vacation was enough to trigger a fear of confined spaces that quickly blossomed into frequent anxiety attacks. Soon she couldn't catch the train, sit in a car without an open window or even consider the idea of flying.
It wasn't long after that she started withdrawing from family activities and her once jam-packed social life. She stopped going to her part time job and never wanted to go to school.
What we didn't know at the time, but what Dr Crisp points out, is that all these things were red flags indicating that Anita had depression.
“While every case is different, the first sign of depression or anxiety is usually the desire to be alone. If a young person changes from being particularly sociable to preferring their own company. And if this behaviour continues for more than two weeks, then they should seek professional help,” he says.
“Don't wait hoping it will go away. The sooner you get help the better, even if it turn out to be nothing.”
All in the family
With any mental illness, family support is paramount. But it's often particularly hard for a young person's parents or siblings to know what to do if a son or daughter, brother or sister is experiencing depression or anxiety.
“Parents and teachers should be the first people to notice when there's something wrong. They need to be on alert. To check in and pick up those changes in behaviour,” Dr Crisp says.
“They're also the ones who need to building a bridge between young people and professional help. One of the major symptoms of these mental illnesses is a reluctance to go out and speak to anyone. It's not their fault, but you have to try to convince them.”
He advises parents, siblings and even friends to start a conversation with the young person and find out how they're feeling and coping.
This, he says, should always be done with patience and encouragement.
“Sometimes it can be frustrating when a young person has either anxiety or depression. They can lash out, be rude and sometimes their behaviour can seem irrational, but they don't need you to yell. They need you to understand.”
It's also good to know that young people don't necessarily need to see a GP or psychologist in the first instance. The National Youth Mental Health Foundation's Headspace also provides mental and health wellbeing support, information and services to young people in a confidential and less formal setting.
Keeping healthy
Youth mental health wellbeing isn't always about treatment, it's also about prevention.
With that in mind, University of Canberra professor of youth psychology Debra Rickwood says there are plenty of things young people and adults can do to stay mentally healthy.
“Eat well, work out, get enough sleep and above all stay connected. A sense of attachment, of wellbeing and of purpose, as well as some positive ways to avoid stress are incredibly important,” she says.
But sometimes self-help isn't enough If that's the case, Professor Rickwood says young people should never turn to drugs or alcohol to cope.
“They only exacerbate the depressive and anxious feelings. Instead seek help and remember that that's never a sign of failure. Sometimes we need a little bit of help to get out that black tunnel.”
In Anita's case, talking to a psychologist was the first step to recovery. With her help, she's begun taking better care of herself and is beginning to go out more with her friends.
But she says she's far from fixed.
“I still feel anxious and depressed. I might always have those feelings, but now I know what to look for and what to do if my emotions start to get the better of me and that's made a world of difference.”
Youth Week 2011
To celebrate this year's Youth Week, Youth beyondblue is running more than 110 youth-focused events across Australia.
The organisation has also launched a series of video blogs to help address some of the fear and uncertainty that young people feel about getting professional help.
beyondblue deputy CEO Dr Nicole Highet says the videos will go a long way towards ensuring young people feel more comfortable about getting treatment.
The Youth Beyondblue website is an important resource for young people and families looking for information on mental illnesses and recently published a free guidebook to help young people better understand depression and the treatment available for it.
“Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed about. It's just like having a physical illness – it can't be helped. You wouldn't feel ashamed that you had a stomach ache, would you? So never be embarrassed about having depression or anxiety,” Dr Highet says.
For more information on local events and launches during National Youth Week 2011 – go to https://youthweek.com/Pages/default.aspx
VicHealth is working on a number of exciting projects to promote social connection among young people through the use of new technology. Social connection is an important factor to protect people from mental health problems. The Technology, Arts and Social Connection projects are currently underway in rural, regional and metro Victoria.