Just Finished Reading

I have just finished reading this book - When to Really Worry- Mental health problems in teenagers and what to do about them. It is written by Michael Carr-Gregg and is a very easy to read, informative book and I certainly got a lot out of it. When I read the last chapter of the book on Youth Suicide and read a letter that a 17 year old girl had left for her mother, I cried, I really cried, something that I rarely do when reading a book. I wept for the mother, for the girl, for the family. Later I felt so grateful that we had a GP that picked up on Amy's depression so quickly, and that we had the means to support her and pay for the help that we needed.

I was amazed to read that for many teenagers with mental health problems that it can take 5 to 15 years before it is picked up on and diagnosed and treatment begun and that the longer it takes to pick it up the more complex and involved the mental health issues become and harder to treat. So I am very grateful for the support that we have had over the last couple of years and what a tremendous job Amy has done in dealing with her depression and getting through the last few years!