The national depression initiative beyondblue has launched a new book that aims to help young people make the right choices in their treatment for depression. The resource is also useful for those who are family members or carers of young people with depression. Called A guide to what works for depression in young people, it has been written by four researchers at the Orygen Youth Health Research Centre at the University of Melbourne, and can be downloaded free of charge from the beyondblue website.

It contains much useful information about the symptoms and types of depression as well as suggestions for how to get help. But by far the most extensive part of the publication is the exhaustive listing of depression treatments together with their pros and cons as they apply to young people. These treatments are broken down into three categories: complementary and lifestyle; medical; and psychological. Here young people can find out what researchers think about some of the mainstream treatments as well as ‘alternative’ treatments for depression – for example, does chocolate or light therapy or St John’s wort help dispel depression? All the treatments discussed have been assessed against the available scientific evidence to determine whether or not they are effective.

This is an important resource for anyone dealing with youth mental health issues. It stresses the importance of young people receiving help as early as possible in order to help them lead fulfilling and productive lives. At present only about 25% of Australian adolescents with mental health problems seek help, which means that 75% of young people continue to struggle on without help.