Let’s be honest, being mentally healthy in our school is something that’s a bit rare. Whether you’re stressing over an upcoming test or you’re stressing at home to take care of your siblings, we all slip and fall once in a while. We all have bad days, and, most importantly, we all need someone to help us through those days.

19 percent of our youth in America suffer from severe major depressive disorder alone. Though, a lot of students struggle with more than just depression. Some of the most common are anxiety, eating disorders, personality disorders, and substance-use disorder.

Almost one in five Americans will suffer from depression in their lives. Believe it or not, women tend to struggle with depression more than men, even though it typically plays a genetic role. There is such a thing as psychotic depression, which is probably the most severe of all types; it can cause you to see and hear things that really aren’t there. 

Wondering if you should be concerned about a friend of yours? Symptoms of depression may include all or none of the following: persistent low mood, loss of interest in some of your favorite hobbies, feeling worthless, often distracted, spacing out, and, the most common, thoughts of harming yourself. 

Anxiety is the second most diagnosed mental illness in our generation. Generalized Anxiety Disorder typically forms in early childhood. A total of eight percent of teenagers in America today suffer with some form of anxiety, whether it be Generalized Anxiety Disorder, as we first discussed, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or Social Phobia. 

Parents, teachers, and friends, pay attention. Just because the females suffer more, males are often the ones to take action, and that could be suicide. Boys often turn depression into aggression and take it out on everyone and everything.

Nearly 50,000 men and women in 2020 committed suicide, and if you find yourself or someone else struggling, turn to our guidance counselors. There have been a little over 500 parents and students come to the Student Counseling Center just this school year. You’re not alone, so let’s fight this never-ending war of mental health together. 

If you need help and you’re scared, you can always go to the guidance counselors website: https://sites.google.com/k12coffee.net/scc/