3. The Depression Spiral

Now you know your first facts about depression, it’s time to put them to use on the Depression Spiral! The Depression Spiral shows the relationship between depression and negative thoughts, emotions, behavioural and physical symptoms which, as they get worse, lead to further depression, making a person feel caught up in a spiral that seems hard to get out of.

On the spiral, write down things for each category that a young person might experience in low mood and depression e.g. thoughts ‘I am worthless’. There is one example in each category to get you started. 

Now complete the same for the upward spiral , but in reverse! List the things in the categories given, that might make depression better. The first example is given to help guide you. 

You can print the spirals on the worksheet here, or if you cannot print, simply draw out the table below. The example below should give you some guidance on where to start.