Depression in High School
Depression is a problem that is rapidly growing to be a problem in the age of high schoolers. Schools have figured out ways to help students deal with depression, how classmates and teachers should handle a depressed student, and what they need to do in terms of everybody’s safety.
“We urge students to come to us if something is wrong. We also encourage people to tell us if they see students acting differently than they normally would. Most of the students that are ‘depressed’ come to us because they’re friends urge them to, or because someone else close to them urges them to. We also get students in here because we get calls from parents, meetings with teachers, or one of their friends tells a counselor about it,” Kevin Floress, Urbana High School counselor said.
There are many ways that counselors can help students deal with their problems, but the first thing they must do is make sure the person feels safe, and welcome around them.
“Whenever I meet a student that is depressed, or is acting differently than they normally would, I always tell them that they are welcome here, they are in a safe place, and our talks are our secrets. But I also have to tell them that if we see self-harm, like cutting or suicide, others harming them, like bullies, or them wanting to harm other people that it is our job to tell their parents and help them through this rough time,” Mr. Floress said.
“I had a friend that was depressed one time. She was moody and wouldn’t talk to anyone. It wasn’t like her to do that, so I told my favorite teacher about it and they took care of it. Now she’s happy and back to her old self,” Emily Sands, sophomore said.
“Depression isn’t something that’ll just ‘go away’. People need ways of getting their feelings out, whether it be fighting, cutting, yelling, or just not doing anything. I’ve had a few friends who hurt themselves, but after I got them to talk about what was wrong, or they talked to someone else, everything went back to normal. All my friends are doing great now,” Junior Tori Washington said.
If you ever meet a student that is acting strange, different, or one of your friends is being odd, tell a counselor or a trusted teacher. You are allowed to stay in the room with your friend if they wish you to do so, but please do not hold back information on a depressed student or friend.
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I really like this article. People would be surprised how many people are actually depressed.
This article is very relevant to high school students because I know s lot of people are going through this or similar disorders. It’s something that many people can relate to and e message is one that everyone could and should learn and take to heart.