Real Student Stories

True stories

This website has been developed with the help of students who have themselves been affected by low mood, depression or suicidal thinking and who have found ways to tackle this depression and overcome suicidal thoughts. You can read their stories here, told entirely in their own words (edited from face-to-face interviews). They provide just twelve examples of the many different ways in which depression can affect someone, as well as some of the many different ways in which depression can be tackled.

How to use these stories

There may be a variety of ways in which reading these stories can be helpful:

1. You can get a general sense of what it was like for these particular people when they were affected by depression.
2. You can see whether any of the stories has any similarities with your own story, helping you identify more of the factors which may be playing a role in your vulnerability to depression.
3. You can compare the different stories, noticing how people have been affected in different ways. Similarly, even if your circumstances are similar to those in one of the stories, the changes brought by depression may have been very different for you
4. You can notice how different things worked for different people, taking inspiration to find what works for you in tackling depression and seeking help.

Click here to see an example of how understanding your own story better can help you choose appropriate strategies for you. Click on the pictures to the left of each of the summaries below to read each story in full.