Depression- How to Cope

     Among the various problems teenagers are faced with today, Depression has become the most common. A disorder most often over-looked yet, it can have deadly side-effects if gone untreated. From socially withdrawing to self-inflicting pain, depression is an emotional roller coaster, especially in adolescents. The main issue of teen depression lies in the opinion society has placed on it, from being ashamed to admit the need for help, to implying how embarrassing it is to be on anti-depressants. With all the stress many teens are already faced with, asking for help should not be one of them.

  Depression in teenagers can go unrecognized for years. With bodies changing and hormones raging, many believe a low-point for a teen, is just another phase towards becoming an adult. However, if left untreated and undiagnosed, teen angst can spiral out of control, leaving teenagers to explore the dark corners of their minds and the dark spaces in reality. Society refuses to believe depression is the cause of suicidal actions, aimlessly thinking it was an act of attention or just an irresponsible teenager. This is simply an excuse to bury the underlying cause of suicide and depression, when in reality, a chemical imbalance in the brain defines depression, and begs the need for an acceptable society to those who are suffering from this disorder.
   It's constantly remembering the pain from the past, or the loss of hoping things will get better that forces the mind into a dark stage of thinking. These thoughts trap us within the walls of never-ending pain and agony. Although soon enough, the realization of opening up and letting it out, lights up our mind, and years of grief and despair is lifted off the face of a lonely mother, and the anger from loss is set free from the mind of a confused father. Admitting and accepting is the key to gaining back faith, for it's not a matter of dealing with the shame of depression, it's a matter of having the strength to admit it in the first place.