Depression: It's a serious topic. Not a joke.

  You see a kid at school.  He's   the kid who always looks sad about something, cuts himself, and cries himself to sleep.  He's tried to swallow sleeping pills,   smother himself , and hang himself.   He's going through the worst time of his life.  You call him  the emo kid,  the messed up kid, the goth kid, and you laugh.    He hears you and looks like he's about to cry. You say that you're joking.  In reality,  you have no idea how powerful your words are. You think he'll   brush off your insults,  "suck it up" , and get over it  by the next day. The next day at school,  you don't see him  anywhere in class.  Oh well, you think.  He's probably absent , didn't want to show his pathetic face at school today.  The teachers at first think it's nothing too,  but then they get a phone call.  Your teacher drops the phone and sinks to the floor .  The principal comes on to the morning announcements and tells everyone  that  that kid will not be coming to school today,  tomorrow, or ever.  At first you don't get what he's saying , and then it hits you.   The kid that you called all those names  and hurt so much with your  laughter and stinging words  killed himself.


According to About.com , "61%  of teenagers have admitted feeling of depression,  36 %  lost all of their motivation to do anything in life, and 34%  have actually contemplated/attempted suicide".  Signs of depression include:  not being able to make decisions, or being able to concentrate,  loss of sleep/ excessive amounts of sleep,  sadness,   hopelessness,  cutting,    crying  every day,  mood swings,  fatigue, and hating yourself.   Ways to recover from depression are :  talking to therapists,  family or friends about what is bothering you.  In some cases these options  work, but in some other cases it doesn't. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP  for short) stated that  in 2010,  the suicide rate in America was 38,364 .  Teenage girls are 3 times more likely to commit/attempt suicide than teenage males do. (according to the AFSP).

So how can we help prevent a suicide?  If you suspect that you are going through depression , go talk about it to someone.  If it's a friend of yours  who you think  is going through depression , talk to them about it.  In most cases,  talking about  problems that happen in life to someone who is close to you is very beneficial.  It can help you get advice,  or it relieves you from the stress or sadness that you are going through.  The best thing to do when you know someone who is going through depression, is to let them know that you're there for them and you will always be. 

This entry was posted in General News.