For one young person, a teacher who knew the signs of depression made an amazing difference to her life.
In her last few years of school, Sarah knew something wasn't quite right. Having previously achieved great marks in her school work, she suddenly started handing in assignments late and skipping classes. At night, she would cry herself to sleep. During the day she experienced panic attacks.
As Sarah explains, it was not until a teacher at her school suggested she might be depressed that she even thought about getting help for what she was dealing with:
On average, young people spend around 30 hours a week at school. The pressures of exams, relationships and growing up can make high school a difficult time. Given that 75% of mental health issues start before the age of 24, a young person’s experiences during their school years are critical to their mental health and wellbeing at that time and for years into the future.
We want all young people to feel happy, safe and supported in schools. We want all teachers at every Australian High School to know about ReachOut.com and use it to help their students.
You can support our Back to School Appeal by making a donation today and helping us deliver:
Teaching resources and lesson plans. Teachers (and school counsellors) have an important role in supporting young people to cope with growing up and developing the life skills they need to face life’s ups and downs. These resources help them help their students negotiate tough times.
Posters, stickers, postcards. These are items that young people tell us they use to promote ReachOut.com. Peer-to-peer endorsement of ReachOut.com is critical in ensuring that young people have a service they can trust when they need help.
Together we can create a future generation of Australians who are happy, resilient and equipped with the tools to cope with anything life throws at them.
In her last few years of school, Sarah knew something wasn't quite right. Having previously achieved great marks in her school work, she suddenly started handing in assignments late and skipping classes. At night, she would cry herself to sleep. During the day she experienced panic attacks.
As Sarah explains, it was not until a teacher at her school suggested she might be depressed that she even thought about getting help for what she was dealing with:
Where I grew up, I had no neighbours. It was a 40 minute drive to buy groceries or see a doctor, a whole hour to get to school. There was no public transport, so if you didn't have a car – or it broke down – there was no way to get around.
When I first heard the word depression, it was from a teacher who was concerned about me. It was scary. I knew I had all these feelings, but to me it was just my life – and it seemed to constantly suck. When it was suggested to me that I had this ‘depression’ thing, I didn't understand. It sounded like some kind of disease. I think at the time I yelled at her and ran away.
But I went home later that night, and like most teenagers do, I asked Google. I went onto ReachOut.com and it gave me such a sense of connection. I was reading these fact sheets and stories that described what I was going through, and I realised that I wasn't alone, and my life didn't have to be the way that it was. It made me realise that there was help out there.
The idea of getting help was hard – but the site talked me through it. Everything from how to find my local GP, what Medicare was, what I could expect from a session… All these things that I didn't have an understanding of before. The website gave me comfort.
I talked to my drama teacher. She was my only support throughout high school.
ReachOut.com had my back the whole time. The site doesn't assume that there were services available. It gave me tools to help myself – such as deep breathing for when I was anxious, forums that connected me with young people going through similar things, mindfulness exercises and grounding techniques. It gave me new ways of looking at my life, and gave me hope.
It also helped me to learn to let people in, to trust. I started to talk to my drama teacher, and she helped me. She taught me meditation. I explained how much I needed extra time on my assessments, how I was struggling, how I was having panic attacks because I felt so trapped and needed space from the crowds of kids I didn't fit in with. She talked to my teachers and they supported me by giving me extra assistance, extending deadlines and by being flexible with when I couldn’t make classes, or when I needed to walk out and breathe for a little. I started to set my own boundaries, and to teach myself to deal with my illness. I felt pretty guilty about it, but ReachOut.com made me realise that it was a strength, not a weakness.
I was really lucky that my teachers picked up on the signs. I was withdrawn, crying a lot, handing up assignments late and their quality was declining – despite previously perfect grades. I was having panic attacks and skipping out on classes. My behaviour had completely changed. I didn't even notice until it was pointed out to me.
 be alive. I wouldn't have discovered the reasons to live that I have today. I wouldn't be able to look at my future with such high hopes. I wouldn't be thankful for all of the beautiful things in my life. My vision has changed. I wish that everybody knew about ReachOut.com, and found the same understanding that I found.
On average, young people spend around 30 hours a week at school. The pressures of exams, relationships and growing up can make high school a difficult time. Given that 75% of mental health issues start before the age of 24, a young person’s experiences during their school years are critical to their mental health and wellbeing at that time and for years into the future.
We want all young people to feel happy, safe and supported in schools. We want all teachers at every Australian High School to know about ReachOut.com and use it to help their students.
You can support our Back to School Appeal by making a donation today and helping us deliver:
Teaching resources and lesson plans. Teachers (and school counsellors) have an important role in supporting young people to cope with growing up and developing the life skills they need to face life’s ups and downs. These resources help them help their students negotiate tough times.
Posters, stickers, postcards. These are items that young people tell us they use to promote ReachOut.com. Peer-to-peer endorsement of ReachOut.com is critical in ensuring that young people have a service they can trust when they need help.
Together we can create a future generation of Australians who are happy, resilient and equipped with the tools to cope with anything life throws at them.
