McCleary 1

Hayden McCleary

Ms. Wilson

English II Honors

May 10th, 2019

Mental Health and Teens

Over 28% percent of teens in America have been diagnosed with depression (King 1),

and this statistic is only growing. Why is this statistic growing? There are many reasons why,

some of which include social media, stress of school, homework, and stress of balancing jobs,

and sports. The google dictionary defines mental health as “psychological well-being and

satisfactory adjustment to society and to the ordinary demands of life” (“Mental Health”). What

does this mean? Three big mental health problems among teens which include, depression,

anxiety, and suicide. After each of these problems are introduced specific possible solutions will

be introduced for each outcome. These are the three major mental health problems that plague

teens across america and the world.

Depression is “a condition of general emotional dejection and withdrawal; sadness

greater and more prolonged than that warranted by any objective reason” (“Depression”). What

does this mean? A person who is living in depression lives in a constant sadness and may exhibit

suicidal thoughts and actions. Depression is on the rise and people need to stop this as depression

leads to many problems things like drug abuse, suicide, and an unsuccessful future if people dont

to get help/therapy are some of these problems. In fact “About 20 percent of Americans with an

anxiety or mood disorder such as depression have an alcohol or other substance use disorder”

(“Substance Use Disorders”). There are many ways to prevent and stop depression. One way to

prevent teens from developing depression is for parents and schools to teach and help kids how
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to develop healthy relationships among their peers. Another way to prevent students/teens from

developing depressions is to teach students and teachers warning signs of depression. If the

teachers or students notice that one of their fellow students/peers may have depression they can

report it and hopefully the student will get the help he deserves.

Suicide is “the intentional taking of one's own life” (“Suicide”). Suicide and depression

correlate in which people who are depressed may exhibit suicidal thoughts and actions. Suicide

and suicidal thoughts come with an array of problems like self harm, lost interest in things that

once meant something to you, weight loss or gain, and copycat suicide. One specific problem

involving suicide is copycat suicide. This is big problem in High School and among teenage

students. Copycat suicide is when one person commits a suicide and then after that people follow

them and take their own life. The reason this happens is because other suicidal students see that

one of their peers took their own life which tells them that it is okay to do it also. This is the

reason it is such a big problem in High Schools because the effect of someone killing themselves

could be so dramatic that it leads to a snowball of a couple suicides in a short span of time. So

the big question is what can people do to stop this? Well one very big thing schools can do is talk

to all students in the school and ask if they okay. This solution would take a lot of time and may

not be quick enough. So the school system can also tell students and teachers to look out for the

warning signs of suicide and report to staff if they see any signs in their students/peers.

Anxiety is “distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune”

(“Anxiety”). Anxiety increases your risk of of heart disease, digestive disorders, and respiratory

disorders. There are a couple solutions for anxiety, two of them are drug therapy and group

therapy sessions. “Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only 36.9% of those suffering

receive treatment” (Facts & Statistics 1). What can people do about this? Why don't people
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receive treatment? It is very possible people don't seek treatment because they are afraid that

they will be judged, or they think that their anxiety is normal and that everyone lives like them.

To try and solve this problem or at least increase the statistic of how many people are receiving

treatment people can do a couple of things. One thing people can do is teach about mental health

in school and inform our students of a problem they might be facing and how to deal with it.

Another thing that will could get people with anxiety to seek treatment is to inform them that

they will not be judged and that it is okay to get treatment.

Overall, teen mental health is a big issue and people need to do something about it. The

big thing discussed was possibly the most effective way to prevent teen mental health from

continuing to take a turn for the worse. This was to teach about it in school. If teachers teach

about mental health in school they could tell students if they might have mental health problems

and how to seek help, and they could also normalize treating mental health which would help

more teens want to get the help they deserve. Doing this will not only decrease the amount of

teens struggling with mental health in are generations but in future generations as well. Doing

this will lead to a brighter future in America which is why Americans need to take action.

Works Cited

King, Keith A., and Rebecca A. Vidourek. "Teen depression and suicide: effective prevention

and intervention strategies." The Prevention Researcher, vol. 19, no. 4, 2012, p. 15+. Academic

OneFile,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A319811844/AONE?u=ncowl&sid=AONE&xid=272706ae.

Accessed 2 May 2019

Mahoney, Diana. "Teen suicide: a multifaceted problem." Clinical Psychiatry News, Dec. 2006,
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p. 41. Academic OneFile,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A157088354/AONE?u=ncowl&sid=AONE&xid=99e63e29.

Accessed 2 May 2019

“Anxiety.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/anxiety?s=t.

Harvard Health Publishing. “Anxiety and Physical Illness.” Harvard Health,

www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/anxiety_and_physical_illness.

“Depression.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/depression?s=t.

“Facts & Statistics.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA, adaa.org/about-

adaa/press-room/facts-statistics.

“Mental Health.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/mental-

health?s=t.

“Substance Use Disorders.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA,

adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/substance-abuse.

“Suicide.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/suicide?s=t.

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“Suicide Contagion & Suicide Clusters.” Centre for Suicide Prevention,

www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/suicidecontagion/.

“The Rise of Teen Depression.” Johns Hopkins Health Review,

www.johnshopkinshealthreview.com/issues/fall-winter-2017/articles/the-rise-of-teen-depression