Ask Sam

Hi there,

I’m really glad that you felt able to write about how you’re feeling. The emotions you’ve described sound hard to cope with and I can tell that this is having a big effect on your life. You deserve help with what you’re going through and you can always go to talk to your doctor about the anxious and depressing feelings you’re getting. It can be difficult to know where to start when you’ve got a lot you want to say so you might find it helpful to take a look at www.docready.org. This is a website that helps you to build a checklist of the things you want to remember to tell your doctor about what you’ve been going through. 

You might find it useful to look at our pages on depression and anxiety. It might also help to take a look at the Young Minds website to find out more about these conditions.

I can hear that you don’t feel your parents would believe you and you’re worried in case they don’t take it seriously. You’ve done really well to explain things to me in your message. How would you feel about writing a letter to an adult you trust so that they know what you’re going through? It’s your choice who you feel comfortable telling. You might think about speaking to another member of your family or a teacher so that they can support you at this difficult time. Read more of our tips about asking an adult for help.  

You explained that this is really frightening and I can tell you’re going through a lot right now. It sounds like it’s really hard when you don’t feel up to doing things with your best friend or when you feel sad so much of the time. If you’d like to talk things through a bit more, remember you can always talk to a ChildLine counsellor. They are there to listen and support you any time.

I hope that you can get the help you need.

Take care,
Sam