Student depression
A pioneering new website has been launched this week to help students across the country who are battling with depression.
The Students Against Depression website (www.studentdepression.org) has been sponsored by the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, a depression-focused charity, and is run in conjunction with the Heads of University Counselling Services group of AUCC (Association for University and College Counselling). It is supported by the National Union of Students.
This comprehensive service will go live on Monday September 12.
The site will provide information about what depression is and how it works; in what environments depression flourishes; detailed and easy to follow advice how to get help and support; and a range of self-help strategies for tackling depression.
The CWMT was set up by the family of a young man who committed suicide and works to raise awareness about the dangers of depression (see www.cwmt.org). The Trust has funded several interesting projects and pilot studies focusing on reducing stigma and improving treatment for depression.
Denise Meyer, the former acting head of counselling at the Royal Holloway University of London and the website developer, commented: "This website offers far more than the minimal information and signposting services that are often found on the Internet in this area. It aims to provide a comprehensive self-help resource whilst also attempting to combat some of the barriers preventing young people from seeking professional help”.
She explained: "The site has been developed over the last year using a focus group of student consultants whose stories of their own experiences of tackling depression and suicide play a prominent role in the presentation of the site content. The message is one of encouragement and empowerment - that depression can be better understood, tackled and resisted".
Nigel Humphrys, chairman of the website steering group and head of the Student Counselling Centre at the University of Leeds, said: "Depression is a significant issue amongst students. This situation isn't helped by the fact that there is still a stigma attached to talking about, or admitting to, depression - especially amongst young men”.
He explained: "The best treatment for depression is often a mixture of medication and therapy and that therapy includes talking about being depressed and the issues behind depression. Our website starts this dialogue and lets students know that colleges and universities have some of the very best counselling facilities in the country.
"One of the strengths of the website is the powerful selection of case histories which it features. Someone who is depressed often feels very alone. These case histories illustrate graphically that being depressed is not a unique condition and - crucially - that it can be treated successfully," he added.
Dr Les McMinn, chair of the Heads of University Counselling Services and head of counselling at Surrey University, commented: "It makes perfect sense to use the Internet as a tool to combat depression amongst students. It is a widely-used, everyday resource at colleges and universities and is often the first place students turn to in order to solve problems.
"This is a creative, modern and pro-active way in which to engage students. I am confident that it will lead to more students seeking counselling. This, in turn, will strike a real blow in the battle against student depression, which is one of the most challenging problems facing many people at college and university. University can be a bewildering and stressful place, particularly at the outset, and it is reassuring for students to know that there is somewhere for them to turn,” he added.
Mark Waller, the chairman of the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, said: "We regard this website as a significant tool in combating depression amongst students. It is the Trust's major initiative this year and we hope very much that it will make an important contribution to the on-going struggle to understand, treat and beat depression amongst young people"
The website was funded by a generous donation from the Wood family, following the tragic death of Matt Wood. Matt was 26 when in July 2004 he took his own life. To his family and friends this was a total shock as no one had any idea how depressed he was. Over 400 people attended his funeral, at least half of whom were his generation.
Following Matt's death his family heard of the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust and decided to support it with funds raised in Matt's name. Matt's cousin, Peter Hughes, completed the New York marathon with a broken leg and raised nearly £20,000 for this website.
For further information, please contact Robert Beaumont of Robert Beaumont Associates on 01423 323139. Please feel free to visit both www.studentdepression.org and www.cwmt.org and use any material, including individual case histories and photographs, featured on these sites
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