Kidney Shilling
theconversation.com
Depression is something that pretty much all of us have heard about and most of us have. You could be walking on the street, walk up to the first teenager you see and ask them if they have or have ever experienced some type of depression and their answer will most likely be yes. Since it’s so common, teenagers have a habit of often undermining how their depression truly affects their lives and the lives of the people around them. So, let’s talk about it!
Depression can be caused by many things, a few being overworking in school, social media, toxic relationships, body image issues, and the list just keeps going on and on. Many of these causes have deep connections to the way we are treated by other people. Social media for example, the way someone is perceived on social media is something that is held at a very high standard. Fem presenting people are forced to feel like they have to live up to social “norms”. While masc presenting people are expected to be emotionless, “strong” and this is such a harmful mindset. Not only do these social stereotypes cause multiple body image issues along with multiple mental illnesses, but they also can cause your depression to get worse over a fast amount of time.
Having depression is not something to take lightly. Yes, some people have very “mild” cases of depression, while others have such severe depression that they can hardly get out of bed in the morning. In the case of severe depression it’s often hard to do normal hygienic things, like showering when you’re supposed to, brushing your teeth in the morning, sleeping too much or not enough, along with not getting your room cleaned when your parents ask you to. These behaviors can also help escalate your depression. If you notice someone going through these symptoms make sure they know that you are there for them, and try to help them the best you can.
The stereotypical depression that we see in movies or T.V shows tend to romanticize depression. They’ll only talk about the things that you see on the surface of someone who is suffering from depression, and that can be really hard on teenage audiences.
It can be hard to reach out for help when you’re suffering from depression. You can feel like you’re alone, like if you try to reach out to someone, they’ll just ignore you or not take you seriously. Try to remember that you are not alone. There are so many people around you that will be there for you, that will listen to you and what you’re going through.
If you or a loved one is struggling with depression please try to seek help!
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