Young people struggle to seek help for their mental health, despite having different resources available. As the coping process is very complex, and elements such as trust and availability of resources have been said to influence it, this study aimed to understand how young people cope with their own or a friend’s symptoms of poor mental health. Eleven young people (13–15 years old) were interviewed. Thematic Analysis of the interviews showed that participants reported different coping strategies for dealing with their own hypothetical symptoms and those of a friend. Participants identified the social impact of experiencing symptoms of poor mental health and choice of resources as the main factors influencing their coping strategies. For their own symptoms, young people expressed concern about being judged and that they would only disclose to someone they trust. Participants would not disclose a friend’s symptoms because they did not want to break their trust. Finally, choice of resources was mainly influenced by the severity of symptoms being experienced, especially when it comes to asking for professional help. This study contributes to a better understanding of the different ways in which young people cope with their own symptoms and symptoms experienced by a friend.

尽管有不同的可用资源，但年轻人仍难以寻求心理健康方面的帮助。由于应对过程非常复杂，并且据说信任和资源可用性等因素会影响它，因此本研究旨在了解年轻人如何应对自己或朋友的心理健康状况不佳的症状。采访了 11 名年轻人（13-15 岁）。访谈的主题分析表明，参与者报告了处理自己和朋友的假设症状的不同应对策略。参与者将心理健康状况不佳的症状和资源选择的社会影响确定为影响他们应对策略的主要因素。对于自己的症状，年轻人对被评判表示担忧，他们只会向他们信任的人透露。参与者不会透露朋友的症状，因为他们不想破坏他们的信任。最后，资源的选择主要受所经历症状的严重程度影响，尤其是在寻求专业帮助时。这项研究有助于更好地了解年轻人应对自己的症状和朋友所经历的症状的不同方式。