Stand By Me: Helping Your Teen Through Tough Times

Book excerpt: Charting John Kirwan's personal experiences as a father, and featuring the real voices of young people today, Stand By Me investigates issues around teenage mental health, with a focus on depression and anxiety. I'm a dad and I'm scared. When I say I'm a dad and I'm scared, I really mean: I'm a dad and I'm looking for answers – from the professionals, kids, mums, dads and other caregivers who have been there, holding each other's hands to hell and back. Stand by me. Let's take the journey together. With clinical psychologists Dr Elliot Bell and Kirsty Louden-Bell, JK confronts the big questions facing parents and teens, highlighting key messages and offering best approaches. Stand By Me also draws on the perspectives of teenagers who have been diagnosed with mental health issues and the families who have journeyed with them. In their own words, the young people reflect on their darkest days and recovery, and consider how these experiences have shaped them as they face forward into their adult lives. Intimate, enlightening and impossible to ignore, Stand By Me is a window into an all-too-real issue facing New Zealand families, and a powerful tool for anyone concerned about the wellbeing of young people in their care. Also available as an eBook