Recently, some students at WHBHS were given an anonymous survey in their English and Psychology classes about depression. The results of this survey were very alarming; of 243 students in grades 9-12, 59% said they knew a depressed person and 20% consider themselves depressed.
Depression can stem from low self-esteem, problems at home, or something that happens at school. It could be brought on by a major life event or stressor. Depression is something that may be in your genes, so someone can be predisposed to being depressed. It can also be caused by a mental illness or bring out a mental illness that shows your depression, like bipolar disorder.
With the increase in social media usage and social networking websites, like Facebook, Formspring, and Tumblr, it has become easier to bully someone. On these websites, people can hide behind their computer and send hurtful messages or make nasty posts that are out there for the world to see. With websites like Formspring and Tumblr, people can hide even more by leaving anonymous messages that can get really nasty.
Guidance counselor Ms. Habersaat said that it’s harder to be a teenager now, which leads to more students being depressed. She talked about the stressors from school and how the uncertainty of the things people do online can lead to depression also. Not everyone knows that these things are a joke and lots of teens do not know how to deal with it.
Some teenagers who feel depressed don’t know where to turn. Many have pain in their chests and making it through a whole day is impossible. Some turn to drugs so that they can function. In our school, some students who consider themselves depressed said in the survey that they have self-medicated with oxycodone, marijuana, and codeine.
Our school psychologist, Ms. McLoughlin, said, “I never advocate for self-medication, and that’s why I think its important that in high school there be awareness of depression and suicide, but it is common for teenagers who are depressed to self-medicate.”
Some teens who are depressed seek help and have been prescribed depression medication by a doctor. Eight of the students from the survey said they are taking depression medication. These include Prozac, Lexapro, Celexa, Xanax, Depakote, Paxil, Zoloft, and Ativan.
Signs of depression include but are not limited to: change in eating and sleeping habits, withdrawal from people who were once close to that person like family and friends, hostility, sadness, frequent crying, and frequent feelings of worthlessness and guilt.
If you know someone who is depressed or you think is depressed please notify a teacher or someone you trust. It could save a life. If any of these apply to you or a friend don’t be afraid to get help because 20% is 20% too many.