Pat's Answer

Hi there, you are very welcome to Ask Pat today. 

You are telling us that you are feeling depressed lately and you are looking for some advice. You say your friend in school has been brilliant. 

We are sorry to hear that you are feeling very depressed, and we are glad that you contacted us today. 

We are concerned that you are feeling like this, because being a child you have the right to be happy and to be heard which means that you have the right to talk to a trusted adult about what is going on for you. You have the right to avail of the support services that are there for you too, at a time like this. It is good to hear that your friend has been brilliant, and it sounds like you really trust them. You said that you do not live with your Mum or Dad. Is there another trusted adult in your life that you are comfortable talking to about how you are feeling? Maybe this is something you would like to discuss a little further with us?  

The Childline website has many articles to help you with how you are feeling and can give you links to other support services that may be of help to you www.childline.ie/how-i-feel/  

You may find it helpful to talk more about what is going on for you. Childline is open 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. Childline never closes. You can contact us by phone at 1800 66 66 66; you can contact us online for a webchat at www.childline.ie or you can text us on our text service at 50101. All the Childline services are free. They are confidential and non-judgmental. We would love for you to get in touch with us. It is your space to talk about whatever you choose.  

Thank you for contacting us, we wish you well and hope to hear from you soon. 

Pat