Teen Suicide Prevention 

 

“I don’t want to go to school, or soccer, or see my friends, or anything. I just hate everyone right now. Life sucks.”

Being a teenager often means having lots of emotional ups and downs. School, parents, friends, relationships can be confusing and frustrating – things can be great one minute and horrible the next. Many people believe that sadness is just a normal part of growing up, but teens who feel really down and unhappy for two weeks or more at a time may have depression – in fact about 1 in every 5 teens get depression. So, if you or a friend feels down, you are not alone, and this brochure is here to help.

Depression is a "whole-body" illness that involves your body, mood and thoughts. It affects the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. Depression is not a sign of weakness, it can’t be wished away, and people with depression cannot just pull themselves together. Without treatment depression can last for weeks, months, or even years. But the good news is: 80% of people who suffer from depression, get better with treatment so there is no need to feel this way.

The key signs and symptoms of depression are

*Loss of interest in things you like to do

·         Sadness that won’t go away

·         Irritability or feeling angry a lot

Other signs include:

·         Feeling guilty or hopeless

·         Feeling tense or worrying a lot

·         Crying a lot

·         Spending lots of time alone

·         Eating too much or too little

·         Sleeping too much or too little

·         Having low energy or restless feelings

·         Feeling tired a lot

·         Missing school, daydreaming a lot, or doing badly in school

·         Not being able to make decisions or concentrate

·         Thinking a lot of dying or killing yourself

Take a look at the list and mark the things that describe your thoughts, feelings, or actions today or in the last two weeks.