Helplines may be useful for depressed teens

By Staff Writer

Teens who are experiencing depression can become increasingly isolated, and often feel like they have no one to talk to. Many times, a web or telephone help service can be a crucial last resort, according to Toronto City News.

Programs such as Kids Help Line - which began in May of 1989 - offer year-round, 24-hour access to professional counseling and referrals. One of the helpline counselors, Lee-Anne Crawford, said that the two most frequent issues that come up are peer relationship problems and family conflicts.

She added that the hotline receives many calls and posts from teenage girls who say they were dating a boy who has a semi-nude picture of them, and now he is texting it to his friends or putting them online.

Unlike traditional forms of bullying, youth who are the targets of cyber bullying at school are at greater risk for depression than the youth who bully them, according to a survey conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health.