What Brings Me Hope: My Story
Depression is a very common thing being diagnosed in teens nowadays. About 1 in 4 people will have or already have depression. I think the parents of teens should be more informed and aware about this mental illness. About 20% of teens will experience depression before they’re an adult. Also, only 30% of the teens who have already been diagnosed with depression are being treated for it (Depression. NIMH RSS). In recent years, suicide has been happening more often than not. For example, between 2009 and 2011 the Anoka-Hennepin school district had 9 suicides. That’s an average of 3 suicides a year. There were students being bullied about being gay and their sexual orientation (Documentary Chronicles Student Suicides in Anoka-Hennepin). It’s still a sensitive subject to this day because it hits home to a lot of families, especially since this happened a couple hundred miles away from where we live. There are a few ways to spot depression such as: loss of sleep, sleep changes, more anger and hostility, appetite and weight gain or loss, helplessness and hopelessness, always feeling down on yourself. If you see you child going through any of these things, you should talk to them and assure them that you’re there for them. You also should offer them help and throw out the idea of seeing a doctor to get treatment. Depression can come from multiple things such as death, genetics, abuse, medications someone can be on, drug abuse, etc… Eating healthy, exercising, and getting enough sleep on a daily basis can help treat depression. There are also medications such as Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Cymbalta and so many more. If your child has depression, make sure they know that you love them and they’ll get through this with your help. Sometimes telling someone you love them and what they mean to you could change almost everything.
Works Cited
“Depression.” NIMH RSS. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. Web. 04 May 2015.
“Depression (major Depressive Disorder).” Depression (major Depression) Definition. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015.
“Documentary Chronicles Student Suicides in Anoka-Hennepin.” ABC Newspapers. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2015.
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