Depression is one of the greatest health risks for teenage girls and is the leading cause of suicide. Therefore it is extremely important to be able to identify the signs and symptoms of depression and also know where and how to access help.

Here are the facts every girl needs to know:
(information from www.beyondblue.org.au )

Interesting Statistics:

• Approximately one in five young people in Australia will experience depression.
• Girls report higher rates of depression than boys (15% vs 9%)
• Girls are more likely to consider suicide than boys (14% vs 10%) but more boys actually attempt suicide.
• Often young people don't seek help for their depression due to the following reasons:
  1. They prefer to manage own problems.
  2. They think nothing can help.
  3. They don't know where to access help.
  4. They are worried about what others will think.

What is depression?

1. Depression is not just regular sadness or feeling down about something.
2. It is a serious illness and can affect you both psychologically and physically.
3. It is a common mental health problem.
4. There are several effective methods for treating depression.
5. Up to 1 in 4 females will suffer depression in their lifetime.
6. It is the leading cause of suicide.

Causes:

• There are several causes for depression and sometimes it may be difficult to pinpoint the underlying cause/s.
• Usually depression emerges when several factors overlap. Things like: ongoing bullying, family break-ups, sexual and physical abuse, feeling like you can't cope, the death of someone very close/significant, hard times, school work, personality, genes, hormones, excessive worrying, being a perfectionist, negative thinking, stressing out.

How can you recognise depression?

• Increased moodiness
• Increased irritability and frustration
• More sensitive to personal criticism
• Withdrawal from social events
• Loss of interest in things that were once viewed as pleasurable
• Change in sleeping patterns (can't sleep or too much sleep)
• Health problems such as pain or fatigue
• Risk taking behaviours
• Lack of concern about things
• Crying all the time
• Feeling worthless
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Feeling hopeless
• Sad for an extended period of time
• Stops contacting friends and family members

How can depression be treated?

1. A person who is depressed should see a counsellor or a doctor immediately.
2. Treatment varies and often counseling strategies without medication can be very effective.
3. Natural courses of action would be to work on getting enough sleep, being active, dealing proactively with stress, eating a well-balanced diet and so on. (You can work on these areas individually but counsellors have strategies to assist changes in these areas to occur more rapidly.
4. When depression is affecting your thoughts and behaviours significantly and impairing your judgment or ability to do the things you usually would do, there is medication that is effective in treating major depression. This requires a doctor to prescribe.

TIPS:

• Plan your daily activities so that you don't stay in bed for extended periods of time in the day. (the less you do, the worse you will feel)
• Do things with other people - arrange to meet people even if you don't want to. If you are socially isolated, things can often get worse.
• Ensure that you have tasks to complete each day so that you feel a sense of achievement.
• Engage in some physical activity as this will increase your endorphin levels and you will feel happier.
• Do NOT turn to alcohol or drugs as these will only make matters worse.
• Try to change negative thoughts into more positive thoughts. With training, this becomes easier and more natural. (Your thinking affects your emotions, which in turn, affects you behaviours.)
• Identify your support team.

Who can I contact for help?

Lifeline: 13 11 14
Kids help line: 1800 55 1800
Ambulance: 000
Accident and Emergency at your local hospital
Your local doctor or school counsellor

Check out the web sites:
www.reachout.com.au
www.beyondblue.org.au

Are you depressed? Try this questionnaire:

For more than TWO WEEKS have you:

1. Felt sad, down or miserable most of the time? Yes No
2. Lost interest or pleasure in most of your usual activities? Yes No

If you answered 'YES' to either of these questions, complete the symptom checklist below.

BEHAVIOUR
Stopped going out
Not getting things done at work or school
Withdrawn from close family and friends
Relying on alcohol and sedatives
Stopped doing things you enjoy
Unable to concentrate

THOUGHTS
"I'm a failure."
"It's all my fault."
"Nothing good ever happens to me."
"I'm worthless."
"Life is not worth living."

FEELINGS
Overwhelmed
Unhappy, depressed
Irritable
Frustrated
No confidence
Guilty
Indecisive
Disappointed
Miserable
Sad

PHYSICAL
Tired all the time
Sick and run down
Headaches and muscle pains
Churning gut
Can't sleep
Poor appetite/weight loss

If you answered 'YES' to question 1 and/or 2 and ticked at least three symptoms in the checklist, you probably have a depressive illness.

Anxiety is really difficult to deal with because it can cause physical changes in your body and may even affect thoughts and feelings, which in turn affects behaviour. We feel anxious or nervous when we think something bad/negative might happen or when we can't control our circumstances. Unfortunately, sometimes the physical arousal that is taking place can hinder performance and the ability to communicate clearly.

So, what can you do???

First, you need to take a look at how your body reacts. You may notice:

1. rapid breathing
2. tight stomach
3. sweating
4. heart beating fast
5. tight muscles

You need to recognise how your body responds to anxiety so that you can identify when it is happening, catch it early and implement the best strategies to calm down and cope.

The first step is to STOP! You need to stop thinking about what is causing your anxiety and you need to calm down. You can do this by:

1. walking away;
2. slow breathing exercises (breathe in.. wait/hold… breathe out, repeat);
3. exercising;
4. systematically relaxing your muscles;
5. imagining another place/time where you can relax (e.g. Imagine you are at the beach, listening to the ocean with the wind in your hair…);
6. telling yourself to "RELAX"; and/or
7. having a drink of water.

Once you are calm you need to approach the stressor/s in a strategic way.

Challenge your thoughts - Have you placed too much weight on the situation? Ask yourself, "What is the worst thing that could happen?" Put it into perspective. Resolve the issue by PROBLEM-SOLVING - Perhaps the issue needs a new perspective and a fresh approach. Make a list of the ways you could combat it and choose the best option. OR, sometimes it may be helpful to break it up into smaller, more manageable chunks and deal with it step at a time. When you do this, you will feel less overwhelmed and more empowered each time you achieve a small goal toward the end result. Confront your fear! The more you run away from a problem, the harder it will be to overcome. Face your fears and attack the problem in a purposeful and strategic manner. The more you challenge your fears, the less anxious you will be about confronting them next time. Talk to someone. Often if you unload your burden to a friend or family member, you will feel better. It is important to have support around you. Sometimes other people will be able to offer you suggestions that you may not have thought of, offer practical help or give a different view point which in turn changes your perspective. If it is a conflict with someone, you need to discuss it with them calmly and tell them how you feel. Allow that person to also tell you how he/she feels and together work out a solution that works. (You may need to compromise!) Keep a journal about your feelings and write down when you feel anxious, what triggers these feelings, what you are thinking at the time, how you calmed down and your thoughts about the event afterwards. Keep track and monitor patterns.

In order to manage anxiety, you need to identify how it affects you physically, learn how to calm down and finally, work out your strategies for tackling the stressors. If you find that anxiety is a big problem in your life, you should see your school counsellor or family doctor.

Most of us experience feelings of anxiety and feel nervous at exam time. It's amazing the effect nervousness can have on performance! Here are some techniques to minimise the effect of anxiety and help you to perform to your potential:

Get enough sleep! Even though you may feel the need to stay up all night studying, it is better to plan in advance and ensure a good night's sleep so that you are alert and ready for tricky questions. You should try to keep a regular pattern of sleep for at least one week prior to your exams. Eat good foods leading up to an exam - plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Remember a balanced diet is the key. Do not go into an exam on an empty stomach. You may need to keep snacks handy if it is going to be a long day! Read over your notes and main points to refresh your memory and get your mind thinking in the right direction about 1 hour before the test. Fifteen minutes prior to entry, you should stop and relax. Practise breathing techniques to calm nerves. Take slow and deep breaths. Prepare equipment! Make sure you know what items are permitted in each exam. If you require a calculator, check the battery. Sharpen pencils and check that all equipment is working. Have a water bottle handy! Take regular sips to ensure that you remain hydrated. Take tissues. There is nothing worse than needing a tissue in an exam and not having one! Read over the exam before you begin. This way you know what needs to be accomplished and you can determine how long to spend on each section and question. This technique also enables your brain to begin thinking about answers even before you attempt the question. Never cheat! If you are caught, you lose everything! You are better to get marks for what you do know. Don't risk losing your integrity and self-respect. If you haven't prepared well enough, deal with the consequences and try harder next time. If you find yourself in a panic during the test, STOP!!!! Put the paper down for a moment. Concentrate on breathing and calm yourself down. Have a drink and clear your mind. When you are calm attempt a different question and take it one step at a time. Some questions are tricky but often you can break the question down into parts. Particularly in problem solving type questions or lengthy written responses, try one step at a time. Think about what you need to do as a first step, what comes next, and so on. This will stop you from feeling overwhelmed by the question and if you don't complete the entire question you can usually get part marks for the sections you do manage.

Good luck to all with your exams this term. I hope some of these strategies can help you to conquer nerves, be prepared and achieve your best!!

We've all heard about bullying and we know that it's NOT right. But what exactly can bullying be defined as?? Well, BULLYING is a desire for one person to hurt another, followed by a hurtful action. These acts are usually repeated and a pattern develops where one person enjoys the feeling of power and domination over another.

Bullying can come in many forms including: Verbal abuse: name calling and spreading rumours. Gestural abuse: threatening or obscene gestures, staring or deliberately turning to ignore someone. Physical abuse: hitting, kicking, throwing things, etc. Relational: excluding a person deliberately from a group or turning a group against somebody. Most recently…Cyber-bullying on the Internet with chat rooms, e-mail and also mobile phone messages. (We will address this one in an article coming soon as it has become a BIG issue.)

In general girls are more likely to be involved with verbal and relational (emotional) bullying. Have you ever seen a girl left out of a group intentionally? Has a friend promised to do something with you but dropped you when she got a better offer? Have you heard nasty rumours spread about someone even when it most likely wasn't true? This is all bullying and its effects can be long-lasting and very hurtful to the victim. Unfortunately bullying can have serious side-effects including:

1. headaches
2. nightmares
3. loss of appetite
4. speech problems
5. anxiety
6. shame
7. hopelessness
8. depression
9. confusion
10. feeling powerless
11. panic attacks
12. being teary
13. problems with school work
14. difficulty trusting
15. fear of socialising
16. withdrawn
17. poor posture
18. isolated/shy

In very serious cases it can lead to social phobias, trauma and suicidal tendencies.

Damage doesn't always end at school; it can cause problems in adulthood and affect career and relationships.

We need to STOP BULLYING now. It is unacceptable and should not be tolerated by anybody. YOU can play a part in diminishing it in your circles.

Bullying continues because people don't challenge the bully. Girls need to stick together and stand up for each other. Don't get sucked in by the girls spreading nasty rumours, don't laugh when girls put another girl down and don't join in general catty behaviour. Discuss the issue with your friends and keep each other accountable. Plan how you will handle bullying when you next encounter it.

If you are a victim you need to do something. Find out about the bullying policy at your school or in your workplace. You need to find out who you should talk to about it. You need to find a supportive friend, a parent, a teacher, a work collegue, a boss, a counsellor or someone who can help you through this tough time because it is a challenge but one that you need to fight through.

If you are an onlooker you need to confront the bully or report the behaviour. Some schools have the policy that onlookers are treated the same as the bully. You too have a responsibility! You should also let the victim know that you have noticed what's going on, it's not acceptable and something can be done about it. Get alongside her and encourage her to take action with your support.

HOW TO BULLY PROOF YOURSELF: Posture - shoulders back, walk confidently. Eye Contact - look people in the eye when you speak with them. Don't walk around avoiding eye contact or looking at the ground. Speak Confidently - make sure you are heard…not like a little mouse. Practise talking in a loud and clear voice. Be Assertive - If you don't like something that someone does to you, tell them confidently. Remember that you are important and you have rights. Find some nice friends - If girls are being mean to you, they aren't worth your time…move on. Feel happy about who you are. Don't be a person who apologises for absolutely everything you do. Don't feel that you need to seek the approval of others for your own self-worth. Ignore hurtful comments…DON'T REACT (Bullies love a reaction!)

So, what if YOU are the bully?
If you recognize some of the bullying behaviours as your own, you need to take a good hard look at yourself and actively work on stopping that damaging behaviour. You could see a counsellor to assist you in this area. Often it is because you have been bullied in other relationships that you use bullying as a tool to gain power and feel respected.

Bottom line: Bullying is harmful and it needs to be stopped. Girls can be very nasty and hurtful to each other BUT we need to EMBRACE our differences and support each other.

For more information and resources about bullying, head on over to www.reachout.com.au.