Finding
Comfort in Being a Teen
Depression is one of many possible ailments that can occur to a young person. Sometimes
genetics play a role in your life, and sometimes, you just need to make time for taking care of yourself. Either
way, the key to being healthy from within is to be aware of your behavior and willing to seek help.
“It’s not easy.
You want to pretend everything is fine” says Megan, a 20 year old college student who says to have suffered from
feelings of depression since she was 14. “I just don’t think I am the only teenager to feel
this way.” She’s right. Out of 10 college students interviewed, all of them
agreed to have had some type of depressive thoughts while in high school. Carol agrees, “I never
thought I was the only person to get depressed, but I always believed that my depression was ‘better’ than someone
else’s. I hated hearing that someone else thought they understood what I felt, because I didn’t
believe they could.” It seems that even in illness, teens enjoy a feeling of independence and unique
status.
It may be helpful
to see if you can relate to any of the following statements and see how many out of the ten volunteers interviewed agree or
disagree. Sometimes there are feelings that are more common than you think.
Statement | # out of 10 agree |
When I was under 16, I was more sensitive than when I went to college. With age, I began
to see things differently. | 9 out of 10 |
A part of me secretly thought it was
cool to say I was depressed or wanted to kill myself. It was a way of expressing that my life was difficult
to others. | 7 out of 10 |
I never told anyone who could really help me, like
an adult, teacher, guidance counselor, parent, or doctor if I was depressed. | 5 out of 10 |
High school
made it impossible for me to get rid of depressive thoughts, because it was 4 years of the same people and situation. | 8 out
10 |
Calling up a close friend or doing my favorite hobby would take my mind off of bad thoughts.
I didn’t seek medication. | 10 out of 10 |
It is important to realize that a serious illness is different
than experiencing the confusion of growing up and being a teenager. None of our ten subjects reached a
point where they needed medication. “I really tried my best to be Zen about life,” says Danielle
as she laughs about her philosophy of life. “It was more important to me that I avoid being a drama
queen. I hated making a big deal out of things, and when I was upset, I just wanted someone to listen to
me.” For this reason, it is important to communicate your problems to people who care.
Tell your parents if you are feeling “blue” longer than 3 days in a row. Make
sure you pay attention to any changes in your behavior after important or traumatic moments, like moving, graduation, death,
divorce, and other life changes. “I think I always gave myself a break. I knew
my life was not easy when my parents got divorced. I knew this was supposed to be hard on me.
So I let it be hard on me. I deserved to be sad. It was a big deal,” says
Aja, a 21 year old college senior. “I knew that if I just kept talking to my parents and tried not
to make matters worse, I would be help everyone move on from that bad time. Now, my parents are actually
friends, and I love them both very much.”
The point: if you need help,
get it. Don’t hold your feelings inside.
