Teen Depression

St.
Catherine’s College
Carcar City, Cebu
TEEN DEPRESSION: CONQUERING THE SILENT CRISIS
Submitted by:
Donna Claire D. Angus
XI – SLM
Submitted to:
Mr. Giuliano L. Largo
Oral Communication Adviser
INTRODUCTION
Have you experienced the feeling of being down, joyless, hopeless, or just feeling
nothing roughly every day? Have you had difficulty when sleeping, eating and such?
Have you gone to the extent of thinking maybe suicidal thoughts? And just want
yourself to be locked up in a quiet and isolated area away from people? There comes a
point in a person’s life wherein the feeling of sadness, of hopelessness, of being down,
can’t be taken to any further extent. These feelings are so strong and pushy, that the
person who’s feeling all of these become very gloomy, which may lead then into what
we called depression.
We couldn’t deny that everyone have experienced and are experiencing times when
they feel a little bit blue or down, but sometimes these feelings are just passing feelings
that would perhaps vanished within a short span of time. Depression, however, is a
medical condition, which is quite different from everyday moodiness. This is also called
“clinical depression” or a “depressive disorder” which is a mood disorder that causes
distressing symptoms that affect how you feel, think, and handle every day activities,
like sleeping, working, or eating. To be diagnosed with depression, symptoms must be
present most of the day, not quite every day for at least two weeks.
The possibility of having depression is more frequent when talking about teenagers. A
typical teenager undeniably has a stressful class, with a minimum of 2 hours of
assignment at night, a one or two performance tasks, plus the parents giving them the
pressure to do their best, to be on top. Not only this, but they also have problems
coming from the society, and maybe from the environment that surrounds them. With
some of the mentioned upsetting factors, it is pretty much normal for a teenager to
become depressed.
Nonetheless, there are differences between just feeling depressed and actually
suffering from depression – the disease. Any time of the moment, a person may feel
depressed. They’d feel worthless, tired and just wanted to be alone without needing the
presence of others. This seems to be just normal, not until the time comes when these
symptoms become persistent, that is the time for that person to seek for some
professional help. When depression is ignored, it may lead to serious depression which
can destroy the life family and the life of the depressed person. When worsen,
depression can lead to suicide.
OBJECTIVES
This symposium is conducted to:
 let the students know what depression really is,

 differentiate the feeling of being depressed from the depression as a disease
itself,
 identify the two episodes of depression,
 identify the causes of depression,
 recognize its signs and symptoms, and
 know the depression’s treatment
DISCUSSION
Teenagers nowadays may show indicators of depression that are different from
adults. Depressed teenagers may sulk, act out, get in trouble at school, express
negativity, and feel misunderstood by others. Alternatively, depressed individuals may
appear mentally healthy, forcing a smile so other people will not worry nor be bothered
with them. In addition, depressed persons may not have the same thoughts as healthy
persons have, which is maybe due to some imbalances in the brain. It can really be
hard to decipher whether teenagers with shifting behaviours are going through an
impermanent phase or are suffering from depression.
There are several variations of depression that an individual may suffer from. These
variations are called the episodes of depression which includes the depressive episode
and manic episode. Depressive episodes involve symptoms such as the loss of interest
and enjoyment on things, always down, depressed mood, and increased fatigability.
Meanwhile, manic episodes involve elevated mood, increased energy, which leads into
over-activity, pressure of speech, and decreased the need/want for sleep.
Going back to the depressive episode, this comes with three levels: Mild, Major
Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Severe. A person with a mild depressive episode will
have some difficulty in going on with the usual work, every day routine and social
activities. In major depressive disorder, it causes the victim to be out of control of itself,
or we may call this ‘not on its usual self’. This is categorized by episodes of more
persistent instability in mood and accompanying features. Lastly, an individual having a
severe depressive episode is very much unlikely to be able to continue with work, social
or domestic activities, except for a very limited scope.
Because of depression’s unpleasant effects, one must get to know how this
originates, or get to know its causes. One thing is because maybe the person is under
the addiction/over dosage of drugs, and mostly are due to stressful happenings in life
like school works, performance pressures and exam stress. Your surroundings, life
experiences, any stressful situations, and traumatic experience such as the death of a
friend or a relative, rape or any kind of abuse, may trigger depression. On the other
hand, we must not mistaken depression from stress because stress causes changes in
your body that affects your overall being which only needs relaxation while depression
is more serious & long-lasting. However, when stress is ignored, high possibility of
depression may take place.
There is a growing realization that teenage depression can be life – changing, even
life – threatening, that’s why we must also have to know it’s signs and symptoms. The
signs of depression are those outward manifestations of the illness that a doctor can
detect when she examines a patient, while symptoms are those subjective things about
the illness that only the patient can observe. Different people have different symptoms
of depression and this includes a persistent anxious or empty mood, feelings of
pessimism, worthlessness or hopelessness, difficulty in sleeping, early – morning
awakening, or oversleeping, changes in appetite & weight, and having thoughts of
death or suicide, even suicide attempts. An illness same as depression is frequently
invisible to the external observer. That’s why it’s very much necessary for patients to
have a precise awareness regarding their symptoms so that in seeking for professional
help, doctor could diagnose them accurately.
A person having this sort of illness or condition must have and undergo the proper
treatment which is to go and visit a health care provider or mental health professional,
such as psychiatrist or a psychologist wherein the patient is to be diagnosed and can be
treated with medications, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two. Medications
(antidepressants), though effective for many people, can create suicidal thoughts
before it works to the patients, so anyone whose taking this should be monitored
closely. Another is Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and other brain stimulation
therapies which is an option for those who do not respond to antidepressant
medications. The last option is the counseling and psychotherapy which is for mild to
moderate depression, this is the best option. This can help address low self – esteem,
relationship issues, or persistent negative thinking. Now that we already know its
treatments and anything about depression, let’s not forget those who suffer from it
every day and always put in mind that no one needs to be left alone to fight against
depression. In that way we can create difference in someone’s life.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the symposium, the learners were able to know what depression is
all about. They also learned about the two episodes of depression: Manic and
Depressive, and were able to identify the depression’s causes, signs & symptoms, its
treatment and have distinguished the depression as a disease itself from the feeling of
being depressed.
Now that we already know its treatments and anything about depression, let’s not
forget those who suffer from it every day. Early intervention will help reduce the burden
and disability of depression. If we see someone who we think might be depressed, let’s
give out a helping hand. If you think the problem is more serious, use the information
you’ve learned. Always put in mind that no one needs to be left alone to fight against
depression. In that way we can create difference in someone’s life.

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TEEN DEPRESSION: CONQUERING THE SILENT CRISIS

This symposium is conducted to:

 let the students know what depression really is,

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