Depressed Teenagers in Today’s Society

2437 Words5 Pages

Depressed Teenagers in Today’s Society

Being depressed includes many feelings, and they can range from simply being fed up with the world to actually wanting to take one’s own life. I have been depressed before, but I have never wanted to commit suicide. I want to know why teenagers would become so depressed that they would even consider taking their lives. I want to answer the commonly asked questions about teenage depression. Why are teenagers today so depressed? Why do they feel like there is no way out for them except death? What causes teens to feel like there is no way out of their feelings of worthlessness? Does society have a negative impact on teenagers which leads to depression? I want to learn the answers to these questions. I want to discover how to help these teenagers who feel so lost in the world. Being a teenager myself, I realize that there is a lot of stress to be perfect. Although perfect is something that does not exist, it is something that so many teenagers feel the desire to strive for. I have teenage friends who I feel have been distant lately. I fear that they may be suffering from something serious, something like depression. I too have been a victim of depression, and I know that times can get hard. I also realize that if people do not get help they are giving up on themselves. People can not always fix what it is wrong in their lives. I wish that there were programs which teenagers could attend in order to learn more about what they can do in times when they are depressed. Teenagers need to know that someone is there for them. With suicide rates climbing into the thousands, depression is being seen as a number one cause. In order to help teenagers people need to start at the s...

... middle of paper ...

...en, and Kimberly Kirberger, eds. Chicken Soup For

The Teenage Soul. Florida: Health Communications, Inc, 1997.

Cohen-Sandler, Roni, Ph.D. “Do you need a therapist?” Seventeen Dec. 2004: 95.

Cytryn, Leon M.D., and Donald McKnew M.D. Growing Up Sad. 1996. Washington:

Norton & Company, 1999.

Depression in Teenagers. November 2003. Hearts and Minds Network. 8 November 2004

<http://www.heartsandminds.org/self/depression.html>.

Kolk, Bessel A., Alexander C. McFarlane, and Lars Weisaeth. Traumatic Stress. 1996.

New York: Guildford Press, 2000.

McEwen, Bruce, and Elizabeth Norton Lasley. The End of Stress As We Know It. 2000.

Washington: Joseph Henry Press, 2002.

Pipher, Mary Ph.D. Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. New York: Balantin, 1996.

Wallenstein, Gene Ph.D., Mind, Stress, and Emotions. 1999. Boston: Common Wealth

Press, 2003.

Open Document