Depression and low mood (young people)

Loz: I think I was sort of worthless and people -, people would tell me, “oh, you're not worthless, you’re  not worthless, shut up” sort of thing.  That would make me think well they’re just saying that, they're not really meaning it.

Sarah: It's hard to know that you don't function the same way as other people do. It's harder for you to get along with people, it’s hard for you to  make friends and trust people and just do things everybody else does every day.

Beth: And I just felt like I was always grasping to feel fitting in.

Sian & Mandy

Sian: I went to swimming, it’s really hard to go swimming when you've got scars on your arms I find.

Mandy: - and your legs,

Sian: Yeah,

Mandy: - and the top of your legs as well.

Sian: - legs and stomach and everywhere. And, I've had people pull their kids away from me and it just feels so bad to have someone pull their kids away from you. As if to say, you’re going to hurt my kid. I wouldn't even dream of hurting a kid, you know, I work with children, I’m quite happy with it.

Mandy: I wouldn’t dream of hurting anybody else.

Sian: I wouldn’t no.

Mandy: You know, it's not even anger directed at people. It's anger directed at yourself.

Sian:  - yourself

Ruby: And I'm not saying that they're insignificant or in no way important in my life, what's happened or what may still happen or whatever, but it doesn't define me anymore. It's not like I'm ‘Hi, I'm Ruby, an alcoholic, bulimic, mental health service user. Who are you, what kind of music do you like?’

Dan: I guess learning to accept that I’d had, I guess, had a real medical condition. That it wasn't just me being stupid or me feeling down or being like a wuss about it or whatever.

Jack: And I just thought, yeah, this is fan-, this is just absolutely fantastic walking in saying hello, hello. And just talking, just, just letting it all go. I felt very strong sitting in that particular chair.

Erika-Maye: Just because they have a mental health condition, it doesn't make them any less intelligent or any less capable of dealing with the minutest detail of their condition.

Blondel: And I felt almost like I’d been given a second chance. So I thought, okay, well, you know, this obviously isn't the answer. And, then really just tried to, to seek help from the GPs. And, you know, I realized that I did have a problem and just be more open about it. So everybody to friends, to family, because no one's going to know what's going on in your head unless you, you know, you have to speak about these things. You have to. It might be hard, but, you know, no one can understand what you're going through unless you speak up.