WITH the pressures facing teenagers today, it's no wonder many have down days.

But for some the issues are more serious. According to the Samaritans one in ten young people experience a mental health problem each year.

Lauren was just 14 when she began feeling depressed. A year later she tried to take her own life.

"I wouldn't say there was a specific event that triggered it," remembers Lauren, whose name has been changed to protect her identity.

"But I really wasn't very happy at school. That was a huge part of it."

To cope with her unhappiness Lauren, from Christchurch, threw herself into her schoolwork and achieved consistently high grades, which actually helped mask her depression.

But it was clear to her family that something was not quite right.

"She used to just sit and watch rubbish on the television without taking it in," said Lauren's dad.

"She used to watch the shopping channels, the same thing over and over again. She used to just look at it, to stop herself feeling anything."

Lauren herself recognised she needed help and went to see her GP who referred her to a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist.

But, initially, her problems got worse and she was put on anti-depressants.

"I didn't even have the TV on, I would just be sat down staring at the wall," said Lauren, now 16.

"I was just feeling absolutely nothing in common with anyone else. I just felt really shut off."

But eventually it all became too much.

Lauren had already talked about having suicidal thoughts, but she decided to act on those thoughts.

"I tried to use the sheets of my bed to hang myself," she said.

"I decided to do it and then Dad called up the stairs because I didn't remember I had an appointment."So it was that that stopped me."

That night Lauren was admitted to Pine Cottage, Dorset Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust's in-patient adolescent unit.

It was during her three-week stay that Lauren finally began to turn things around.

"I went into Pine Cottage feeling worse and it was a real turning point. It gave me the time to think about everything and talk it over with someone else.

"Things just started to make sense."

Lauren's dad added: "When Lauren went in there was probably the worst day of my life. You realise just how bad it was.

"They unburdened her of a lot of worries she had because she used to worry about GCSEs. They said just do five GCSEs and don't worry about it."

Weeks after Lauren returned home a large group of friends threw her a surprise birthday party.

"That was absolutely brilliant," she remembers.

"That was one of the moments that I realised I wasn't depressed any more and that I didn't need to be because, in life, as a general rule, things are never as bad as I think they are."

Lauren admits she still has the occasional "wobble" and that sitting five GSCEs was a tough time, but she has now come off her medication and is planning to take A-levels in biology, chemistry, English literature and media.

She said: "If I do start to dip I can deal with it myself and it won't knock me sideways like it used to."

About Pine Cottage

Pine Cottage is a four-bed inpatient unit with day places for young people aged between 12 and 18 who are suffering from acute and severe mental health problems.

Opened in March 2002, the unit offers assessment and treatment to young people and their families under the NHS child mental health services.

Each young person has an individually tailored therapeutic package of care, which includes individual therapy, group work, family work and education.

The unit's aim is to ensure young people can return to their families as quickly and smoothly as possible. For more information call 01202 584600.

Helplines

  • Talk to someone at school or your GP
  • Visit youngminds.org.uk, childline.org.uk or samaritans.org.