Y. S. Lin - Defeating Depression

Published in 2016 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010

Copyright 2016 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

First Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lin, Y. S.

Defeating depression / Y. S. Lin. First edition.

pages cm. (Effective survival strategies)

Audience: Grades 712.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-4994-6175-6 (library bound)

1. Depression in childrenJuvenile literature. I. Title.

RJ506.D4L56 2016

618.928527dc23

2015025085

For many of the images in this book, the people photographed are models. The depictions do not imply actual situations or events.

Manufactured in China

Contents

Introduction

B eing a teen is very demanding. Keeping up with homework, going through puberty, and dealing with unfamiliar emotions is challenging enough. But many teens today also work part-time, babysit younger siblings, help with chores, resist peer pressure, deal with cyberbullying, participate in extracurricular activities, and find time to hang out with family and friends. That is a lot to juggle! It is no wonder that teens occasionally feel tired, stressed out, or even a bit down. These are normal feelings that all people face from time to time.

It is when you start to feel sad or more tired than usual for weeks on end, no longer enjoy favorite activities, or begin to have feelings of worthlessness or hopelessness that you need to pay more attention to what is going on. These are all possible warning signs of a serious medical condition called depression. It is important to know that when someone suffers from depression, it does not mean that the person is crazy. It also does not mean the person is weak, lazy, or bad. Many successful people have suffered from depression at some point in their lives. Demi Lovato, Brad Pitt, J. K. Rowling, Charles Darwin, and Abraham Lincoln are just a few famous people who have accomplished impressive things despite having battled depression.

Many teens experience high levels of stress. A survey by the American Psychological Association found that the top sources of stress for teens are school and deciding what to do after graduation.

What having depression does mean is that a person needs help, just as one would go to the doctor when suffering from migraines or chronic stomach pains. If you are diagnosed with depression by a health professional, there is help out there and you can get better. Keep in mind that if you suffer from depression, you are not alone. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) website, more than one in ten adolescents suffer from a depressive disorder before they reach the age of eighteen. Some experts believe the number is higher. Depression has been shown to affect girls and boys of all different ages and backgrounds. Anyone can suffer from depression, even people who you think are attractive, popular, and smart.

Depression is something human beings have been aware of for thousands of years. Hippocrates, a great physician in ancient Greece, described what we call depression today as an illness. For thousands of years, views on depression ranged from the incomplete to the ignorant. Many different treatments were concocted. Sadly, for those suffering from depression in the past there was little hope of getting better.

Fortunately, depression is better understood today. There are trained professionals who help teens suffering from depression. There are also medications that can dramatically lessen the symptoms. Furthermore, there continue to be advances in science revealing more about what causes depression and hinting at promising new treatments on the horizon. Additionally, in the United States, there now exists a law called the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. This means that health insurance companies and government health programs must treat mental health issues as they would any other illness, like diabetes or arthritis. This legislation makes treatments for depression accessible to more people.

Depression is a serious problem. You can get better if you suffer from depression, but you need expert help. Trying to tough it out, ignoring the problem, or self-medicating is dangerous and can make things much worse.

If you think you might be suffering from depression:

DONT hide it.

DONT try to tough it out.

DONT ignore it and hope that it will go away on its own.

Depression is a serious problem, and you need help to get better. This resource will help you get an understanding of what depression is, which symptoms are most common among teens, which online and offline resources are best for you and your family, and most important, how you can get help today and start on a confident path to feeling better and stronger.