Guidelines
The more information that is given about depression, the greater the benefit to the depressed person and his/her relatives.
Your questions to the Letterbox are very welcome!
When you write your question, please be precise
The more specific you are, the easier it is to answer your question. We invite you to introduce your question with a brief description of your own background:
- Do you suffer from depression? If so, for how long?
- Are you a relative, friend or colleague of a person with depression?
- Your age and your sex.
Then write your question. Try to keep your language as simple as possible, e.g. no Latin terms. We would urge you to direct specific questions about individual drugs to the relevant pharmaceutical company or to your doctor.
For the sake of our users, we reserve the right to edit and, if necessary, shorten your question. We hope you can accept this.
When do I get an answer?
We respond as quickly as possible. You should have an answer within a week. At times there may be a delay in answering questions, please remember your questions should not be of an urgent nature. This is not a crisis line.
Important Notice
Please note that the function of the letterbox is to provide general information about Depression. This is not a crisis line. If you are in crisis please call Lifeline on 13 11 14, contact your nearest emergency department or call your doctor. If you would like further information about Depression please click 'Ask the Panel'. Panel members include two practicing psychiatrists as well as general practitioners with additional experience in mental health.
Are all questions published?
We do not publish all questions on the website. This is not because we do not wish to publish all questions. But several questions may relate to the same subject. This does not mean that you will not receive an answer to your particular question. ALL questions receive a personal response. You can request that your question be published, however, sometimes inappropriate or repetitive questions are not published. Providing you have supplied the correct email address, you will still receive a personal response.