There is a really good site called reach out which is designed for young people. It is sponsored by JJJ (the national youth radio station) It has a variety of fact sheets on adolescent issues which are aimed at kids. The following looks at myths surrounding depression
http://www.reachout.com.au/default.asp?ti=2334What i found interesting were 3 of the things that it advocated
1. Was talking to an adult if you suspect a friend is depressed and it not being seen as a petrayal of trust
2. Was that anti depressant drugs were not always the first port of call if you are depressed or having mental health issues
3. was the idea that depression was not ncecessarily a moral failure or sign of weakness.
These things are in derect opposition to all of the things i have seen on websites for wilderness programmes & tbs which advise they take depressed kids. if a kid in a programme were to tell an adult that a friend were depressed the friend could be penalised. Programmes which have level systems by their nature suggest that the kid is there because of moral failure.
