Meet James, an inspiring young man with a powerful story. Whilst he didn't want to share the finer details of his experience he was keen to share some pearls of wisdom in the hope that it will help others who may go through a similar struggle.

I had depression. I didn't look like the kid who had depression. I was raised in a loving, supportive family, I was academically and athletically gifted, very social, and I had a great group of friends I was always grateful for. Academically I had no reason to be depressed, but it got so bad I was making serious plans to take my life, unbeknownst to everyone around me. I hid it brilliantly.

After a whole heap of intervention, I'm out the other side now, which is a whole new story. But here is what I want other young people to know or here is what I wished I knew when I was in the thick of my depression.

1. Tell someone how you are feeling. So many other people have been down the same path and made it through to the other side, just like me. I got trapped in thinking I was all alone and that no one will understand. If I'd reached out earlier, I would have got better sooner! It doesn't matter who you reach out to, and importantly that person doesn't need to be a medical professional, just someone you trust and can be completely honest with. I couldn't even verbalise how I felt, I ended up putting it in a letter to my brother. It was the best thing I ever did because that was the first step to recovery. (he told our parents, which was precisely what I had told him not to do!)

2. Recovery isn't a straightforward process, it looks different to everyone, it will take time and effort, trial and error, and sometimes it just totally sucks.

3. Your feelings are real, even though people will try and tell you differently. If I had a dollar for every time I've heard, "You shouldn't feel like that..." Not helpful, but potentially well intended. There are no right and wrongs to mental health; there just is.

4. This is your life experience. You only have to share it with who you feel comfortable sharing it with. This is the first time I have shared anything about my struggles outside of my family. I really hope this helps some people, and I want to help others, but I find it challenging to articulate my experiences.

5. Your illness can be really tough on your family. They have a whole learning curve ahead of them as well, and you may have been behaving like an ass for years! I was resentful that my family didn't understand immediately, and it was the opposite of helpful. What I learned was I had to communicate my experiences for them to support me more effectively.

6. I'm off all medications, and I rarely experience depressive episodes now, but I still have really shitty days—That's life. With the proper guidance, I have learned to recognise the crappy days from the spiralling days, and I have a plan for when things start to spiral and people around me who know that plan and can help me activate it.

7. One for parents, listen, just listen. Don't tell your kids its "just a phase", or "its not that bad", or "you'll get through it" or something about "when I was your age" and don't try and fix it. Just hear them out and let them know you'll love and support them through whatever situation or experience is occurring. I found words like "How can I help you?" "What do you need from me?" "we really need to get some extra help with this" really awesome.

8. Life is worth living and living well. Getting well can be challenging, but it's infinitely better than being where I was a few years ago.