Teenage Depression and Suicide
Teen depression is different from adult depression. According to Jennifer Hartstein in an interview on CNN’s health watch segment, girls attempt suicide three (3) times more than boys, but boys complete suicide three (3) times more girls. It depends on the method used in the attempt. Boys choose more violent means than girls.
She profiled a young man who was a high school senior who had been named homecoming king. He was a star athlete on his school’s baseball and golf team. On the outside, he appeared to have the ideal life. However, on the inside, he was battling with depression.
In September, 2007, he called his then girlfriend to say goodbye. He then crawled out of his nine- story- high bedroom window. He fell more than one hundred (100) feet, and hit the ground at sixty (60) miles per hour. He survived the fall. He was hospitalized for four (4) months.
Today, after fourteen (14) surgeries and two and on half (2 ½ ) years of excruciating rehabilitation, he plays golf again. Depression is still a daily struggle for him. He knows that to be alive after his ordeal is a miracle.
His mission now is to share new light on the dark world of depression. He travels to high schools and colleges across the country educating parents and students about the painful stigma associated with mental illness.
His message to them is that anyone can be depressed. We can not choose the things that happen to us, but we can choose how we cope with them. He wants young people who feel that they have no hope left, to stop and think for a moment, and wonder if it is worth making a choice that they may never be able to take back.
He knows that personally sharing his story has touched lives, saved lives, and started conversations that a lot of people never thought they would have. He is an inspiration. Sadly, this is not the way it always works out when teens are battling depression.
If your child stops showing interest in things they used to do, this is a warning sign. If there is a drastic shift in their behavior that you are used to, start asking questions. Also, if they say goodby and make statements about life going on without them, this is a sign of depression. If they give away prize possessions, this is cause for alarm. Suicide is the third (3rd) cause of death among fifteen (15) to twenty-four (24) year old young adults. If we are going to save our children, we are going to have to be more proactive in looking for warning signs of depression.
Disclaimer: The author takes no responsibility for the readers’ decisions based on information in this article. It is recommended that the reader seek professional counsel for individual circumstances.
