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Depression is a low mood that can last a long time or keep returning, affecting your everyday life. Depression does not only affect adults. Children and young people can get depressed too. It's important to get help early if you think you may be depressed. The longer it goes on, the more likely it is to turn into a long-term problem.

 Symptoms of depression in children often include:

• sadness, or a low mood that does not go away
• being irritable or grumpy all the time
• not being interested in things they used to enjoy
• feeling tired and exhausted a lot of the time

You may also:

• have trouble sleeping or sleep more than usual
• not be able to concentrate
• interact less with friends and family
• be indecisive
• not have much confidence
• eat less than usual or overeat
• have big changes in weight
• seem unable to relax or be more lethargic than usual
• talk about feeling guilty or worthless
• feel empty or unable to feel emotions (numb)
• have thoughts about suicide or self-harming
• actually self-harm, for example, cutting their skin or taking an overdose

Our treatment is based on Behavioural Activation (BA) which aims to improve people’s mood by encouraging them to take part in activities they may have stopped doing that they previously enjoyed, or which gave them a sense of achievement, or closeness to other people. 

Our BA is made up of 8 sessions each lasting around 40 minutes and delivered weekly, either in the clinic or online. The sessions help young people to identify activities that are meaningful and enjoyable and they are encouraged to take part in these activities, with the support of carers; young people aged 16 and over may sometimes prefer to nominate another adult for support. Young people will be shown how to set goals, use problem solving, learn methods to deal with stress and avoidance and will be taught what to do if they think they may have a relapse (i.e. are feeling better and then see symptoms return).

Psychoeducation (PE) for this study will be an online leaflet which aims to help young people understand what depression is, what they and others around them can do to help and signposting to support services. This will be distributed to every participant in the study. 

 We hope that BA helps you feel better, and that taking part in the research is valuable and rewarding for them. The research also provides an opportunity for an intervention that you might otherwise not be able to access through CAMHS.  We cannot be sure that BA or the usual care will work. However, we hope that the support you receive is useful in helping with low mood and in learning some skills that you can use in the future if you feel down.  

We do not know of any risks of BA, but you might find that you feel down whilst taking part in the research or notice that your symptoms have got worse. Therefore, during the research it is very important that you look out for signs of worsening mood.  If this happens, we ask that you seek additional support if you feel it necessary. This may include contacting your relevant CAMHS professional or GP.  If you have any serious concerns, we ask that you attend your local A&E department or call 999. 

No - you are under no obligation to take part.  It is entirely voluntary and you are free to withdraw from the study at any time, without giving a reason.  

You will be asked some questions to determine your eligibility , and you will be asked to complete a short questionnaire. If you are suitable for the study and, if you and your parent / caregiver choose to take part, you will be asked to sign a consent form. You can withdraw your consent from the study at any time. The data provided up until this point will be retained, unless you ask specifically for this to be deleted.

You will then book in your first appointment with the researcher who will ask you to complete a short questionnaire to see if they are still suitable for the study, and if you are then they will go on to complete the rest of the questionnaires. If we don’t feel you are suitable at this stage or you do not wish to continue, you will go on to receive treatment as usual from CAMHS. The questionnaires will be in-person ideally at the local CAMHS office or at your home. If needed, it can be over the telephone or using videoconferencing. 

The BAY study is a randomised control research trial, which means you will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. It is important to note that the CAMHS treatment will NOT be affected, and regardless of the outcome of the randomisation, the treatment as usual will remain the same. 

You can withdraw from the study at any point, you just need to let a member of the team know you wish to withdraw and you will be asked a couple of questions regarding the reasons why, these are completely optional to answer.