Depression or low mood

Some symptoms of low mood or depression include:

• Not wanting to do things that they previously enjoyed
• Avoiding friends or social situations
• Sleeping more or less than normal
• Eating more or less than normal
• Feeling irritable, miserable or upset
• Being self-critical
• Feeling hopeless
• May want to self-harm
• Feeling tired and not having any energy

Depression can affect anyone at any stage of their life.

• NHS Low mood and depression guidance
• Royal College of Psychiatrists Depression

• CBT Toolbox for Children and Adolescents by Amanda Crowder, Lisa Weed Phifer and Tracy Elsenraat
• Coping with an Anxious or Depressed Child: A Guide for Parents and Carers by Samantha Cartwright-Hatton
• Helping Children Who Bottle Up Their Feelings by Margot Sunderland and Nicky Armstrong
• Helping Children with Low Self-esteem by Margot Sunderland and Nicky Armstrong
• Mind Over Mood: Change How You Feel By Changing the Way You Think by Dennis Greenberger and Christine A Padesky
• So Young, So Sad, So Listen by Philip Graham and Carol Hughes
• The Big Book of Blob Trees by Pip Wilson
• What To Do When… You Grumble Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Negativity by Dawn Huebner
• Lancashire Libraries - Reading Well for Young People – Shelf Help

Mental Health First Aid England - Downloadable resources/leaflets, single page PDF posters that school can use and videos for training.

MindEd - MindEd is a free educational resource on children and young people's mental health for all adults.

Young Minds - Training courses, free downloadable booklets/leaflets and posters/resources/materials/lesson plans for teachers and school staff – also available to order at a cost.

Royal College of Psychiatrists - Online advice, guidance and downloadable factsheets for staff, parents and CYP to use (good for parents’ evenings) with leaflets available to order at a cost.

MIND - Information booklets and leaflets.

The Mix - Information for professionals and CYP about a variety of MH issues.

Moodjuice - Self-help guides and tools for professionals.

Time to Change - Resources for staff. Schools areas for staff to register.

Playfield Institute - Hands On - Help and practical advice for supporting children and young people's mental health and emotional wellbeing.

CAMHS resources - This site was created for young people, carers and professionals to pool together lots of helpful resources from across the internet that are available to help support mental health and well-being.

Get Self Help - This website provides CBT self-help and therapy resources, including worksheets and information sheets and self-help mp3s.

Centre for Clinical Interventions - Self-help resources for mental health problems.

Health and Social Care Board - Choice and Medication leaflets are designed to help service users, carers and family members understand their medicines better, and to make more informed decisions, best as part of a discussion with a healthcare professional.

NHS Northumberland, Tyne & Wear - Self-help leaflets.

Student against depression - Self-help section and guidance about what to do when feeling stressed, anxious, can’t sleep etc.

onyourmindglos - Helpful guides about emotional health.

Kooth - Free, safe and anonymous online support for young people, accredited counsellors for mental health needs.

Childline - Information and advice.

Stem4 - supporting teenage mental health - Advice and guidance.

YoungMinds - Support and advice for young people with depression.

CALM – Campaign Against Living Miserably - Information and advice for anyone affected by suicide or struggling with sucidal thoughts. Freephone 0800 585858 helpline available 5pm – 12pm.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust has partnered with ORCHA to provide a library of safe and free apps to support young people’s mental health. These apps have been designed to help users to manage things that they might find difficult when experiencing low mood, anxiety, or stress. They work by teaching skills and strategies to manage these feelings in the moment, and to help reduce their impact in the future.

Browse the apps in the library here Young People's Mental Health Apps - Lancs & South Cumbria

Other apps:

• Headspace is a personal guide to health and happiness. Designed to help you focus, breathe, stay calm, perform at your best, and get a better night’s rest through the life-changing skills of relaxation, meditation and mindfulness.
• Calm is an app for meditation and sleep. Designed to help lower stress, lessen anxiety, and assist in a more restful sleep with guided meditations, Sleep Stories, breathing programs, masterclasses and relaxing music.
• MindShift uses strategies based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help you learn to relax and be mindful, develop more effective ways of thinking, and use active steps to take charge of your anxiety. 
• 7 cups is a free anonymous emotional support and counselling from trained active listeners
• Smiling Mind is a web and app-based program developed by psychologists and educators to help bring balance to people’s lives

Watch videos in our depression/low mood playlist on our YouTube channel.