David's Soap Box.


Yesterday, I took my dad to the doctors’. As we sat in the waiting room, my eyes were drawn to three noticeboards that were up on the wall (this being the best place to keep them).

They were separated into three categories: Juvenile, Young Adult and Elderly. I was surprised by the pamphlets they’d attributed to each.

The Juvenile board had the information you’d expect; leaflets on breastfeeding, vaccination and the like. It was the other two that bothered me. The Young Adult board was full of posters on chlamydia, AIDS and smoking - not for; against - while the Elderly board only had information on depression and losing weight.

I didn’t like was the categorisation. Why suggest that only young people catch STDs and the elderly suffer from depression? It was great that they offered so much information and support, but they didn’t need to pigeonhole it. This could make those in difficulty feel they couldn’t ask for help, because they’re worried that they shouldn’t be in their situation in the first place.

This is particularly the case with depression, which is one of most common mental health issues experienced by younger people. One in seven men aged between 16 and 24 suffer from depression and anxiety each year. Many deny they even have a problem. So, why create the impression it’s just an issue for the older generation?

Maybe I was being pernickety. They were on the same wall after all. Either that, or I was just upset because I couldn’t decide which age bracket applied to me. When will I stop being juvenile?

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