Affecting 1.1% of the population, and occurring more frequently in men than women, Autism Spectrum Disorders are a group of mental disabilities that can affect a person’s communication skills and social interaction.

Autism Spectrum Disorders can also occur with learning difficulties, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders and Attention Deficit Disorder, as well as other mental illnesses, such as anxiety and depression.

There’s no denying it that the festive season is well and truly underway. As early as August, when the sun was still shining, some shops had their stock out for Christmas and we are now bombarded daily with adverts telling us what products and brands we should buy for ourselves and other people. The John Lewis Bear and Rabbit ad is on our screens costing a massive £1 million to make - money well spent? You decide!

If you have to look after a relative or family member, then as a young carer you may have feelings of guilt, loneliness, anger, anxiety, stress or depression from time to time.

Feeling like this is natural as you are having to take on so much responsibility and as a result are being denied some of the opportunities and pleasures enjoyed by your peers.

Hello, and thanks for coming back to check out my third entry. In my last entry I left you all on a cliff hanger. Paula and I had finished our first meeting together and I was feeling much better about going to meet her.

I'll be continuing this story from where I left off. I hope my experiences will help you through your journey of being NEET.

Hello, thank you for taking the time to come back and check out my second entry about being N.E.E.T in Cambridge. I left you all on a cliff-hanger when I had just received a call from a woman named Paula. So without further ado – let’s dive back in!

Although the legal age to purchase alcohol is 18, statistics show that few young people wait that long to start drinking. By the age of 15, 80 per cent have already tried alcohol, so perhaps you have started drinking too.

What do these successful people have in common other than being well known?  Beethoven, Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Christopher Reeve (Superman), David Blunkett and Admiral Lord Nelson....they all are/were disabled.

Depression can leave you feeling tired all day. Some days you just lack the motivation to do anything and this can affect your home life, your relationships and your physical health.

A week has passed since I’ve written part 1 of this article, and I’m hoping that you’ve been diligent in doing the exercise and that you have now taken the first step to recovery. The whole point of this exercise is for you to realise that you are worthy, have value and that the bullying was not your fault.

Bullying can cause a lot of pain and destroy your confidence, but you don’t have to be a victim for the rest of your life. People who bully others often use this behaviour as a way to make themselves feel better and more powerful. Usually bullies are acting out because they feel they are lacking in some way or another.