Celebrating "Lift the Lid" Mad Hat day for mental health, Leah Farnham from Headspace in Shepparton was guest speaker.
Leah Farnham has an eight year involvement with Headspace Shepparton which works with 12 - 25 year olds providing early intervention.
1 in 5 youth experience a health issue: Anxiety 15-20%. Substance Misuse 10%, Depression 7%.
Impact of poor mental health: Poor school or work attendance, Social withdrawal or isolation. Adopting negative coping strategies.
Adolescence a period of great change. change in the way we think, change in relationships, change in the way we feel.
Normal for adolescents to argue for sake of arguing, jump to conclusions, be self-centred, constantly find fault in adults, be overly dramatic.
Signs of depression: unexplained or prolonged feelings of sadness, sadness or anger, mood swings, change in behaviour.
Headspace is youth friendly looking after physical health, mental health, alcohol and drug dependence, vocation and education.
Managed by G.V. Health, only address mild to moderate conditions, valuing youth and family involvement.
