TEENAGERS in Swindon are to be given group therapy in the classroom in a bid to prevent depression.
About 7,000 youngsters in all will be part of the £1m government-funded sessions which will be trialled in Swindon, Bath, Bristol and Nottingham.
Around 20 per cent of teenagers in England are at high risk of depression. The class sessions will aim to teach teens ways of coping with problems that get them down and other negative feelings.
The programme is based on cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) which is designed to help users to pinpoint – and then change – thoughts and actions that cause them emotional problems.
National guidance recommends CBT ahead of anti-depressants in cases of mild to moderate depression and anxiety, and the government has set aside £173m to boost its availability.
Professor Paul Stallard, a consultant psychologist at Bath University who is leading the study, said: “Everybody knows that depression in young people is not uncommon.
“We also know it can start during adolescence. The idea here is to see if we can prevent young people from developing low moods and keep them emotionally healthy and well.”
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