Depression Diagnosis

[Ares]

I think I have depression. It hasn't been diagnosed yet though. And I was just wondering if there are any places where a fourteen-year-old can go get it diagnosed without their parent's knowledge. I will, of course, tell my mom that I have depression if it is diagnosed but I don't want to cause my mom any stress and then not end up having depression. So if anyone knows what I can do, please reply. Thanks xx

[Ares]

By the way, I live in Sydney

[geoff]

Hello Ares, thanks for posting your comment.

I believe you can go and see a doctor once you are 14 years of age, but only in 2 States, one being NSW Syndey and SA, other States may also be changing.

A guardian, school teacher or a relative who is over age can also take you, but whaty you can do is ring up the doctor's office, speak to the secretary and confirm whether this can happen.

Can I suggest you do the K-10 depression test, but do it several times not straight after another but different times of the day, then take this to the doctors.

Please let us know how you get on.

Take care.

Geoff.

[baet123]

Hey Ares,

Welcome to the forums and is amazing that you have opened up to us and it is great to have you here!

As Geoff mentioned above I would see your GP and discuss it with him/her. In Australia parents and teenagers both have rights to consent to a teenage child’s treatment. The age at which a young person can consent to simple health care treatments without involving a parent or guardian is around 14 years. This means your teenage child can start making decisions by himself and for himself, if health professionals believe he can understand the health problem, consequences of treatment choices and any potential risks from procedures or interventions.

At your age, you are permitted by law to see your GP on your own without your parent's consent. Your GP would be a great first point of contact as they will be able to provide you with the best advice available in terms of a diagnosis and treatment options.

I live in Sydney and I believe you should contact Headspace and speak to them. Headspace is a great organisation that specialises in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions of people aged between 12 and 25. They approach an individual's mental health condition holistically and address all aspects of a person's life, is applicable. Headspace have social workers, nurses, GP's, psychologists and other specialists who would absolutely love to hear from you and assist you.

Depending on where you live in Sydney, there are headspace centres at the following locations:

- Ashfield

- Liverpool

- Bankstown

- Castle Hill

- Mount Druitt

- Parramatta

- Hurstville

- Chatswood

- Brookvale

- Miranda

- Campbelltown

- Bondi Junction

- Camperdown

Your best bet will be to visit your GP and contact Headspace 🙂

You are extremely intelligent, brave, strong, resilient and thoughtful and things will get better and better days are definitely ahead! Hope this helps Ares and if you need any more information about services available I can assist you with that 🙂

Look forward to hearing from you again shortly!

All the best,

Nick.