Overall health means more than simply being in shape and eating properly. Mental health is just as important as physical health.
During your teenage years, various things may make you sad or get you down. For example, if someone makes fun of your clothes or if you don't do well on a test for which you thought you were prepared. But if you constantly are upset about something, you could be depressed. Depression is a mental illness, but it is treatable once it is accurately diagnosed. Many teenagers experience depression.
Take the following quiz:
Do you cry more now than you used to?
Do you think your life is hopeless or meaningless?
Do you have a hard time sleeping, either sleeping too much or falling asleep at night?
Do you spend more time alone than you used to?
Do you ever think of hurting yourself?
Do you often feel worn out?
Have you gained or lost weight in the last month or two?
Have you felt unusually irritable lately?
How is your appetite? Are you overeating or undereating?
If you answered "yes" to several of these questions, talk to someone about getting help and feeling better. This person could be a teacher, a coach, your parent, an older sibling, or someone else you trust, but TALK WITH SOMEONE. Take a few minutes to make a list of people who you can call.
Depression, if untreated, may cause you to feel like hurting or killing yourself. Suicidal feelings are a very real problem that should be taken seriously. Talk to someone. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adolescents between 10 and 14 years of age and the third leading cause of death for those 15 to 24 years old. It's hard to understand how anyone, especially a teenager, could take his or her own life, but people who can't shake depression sometimes do. A 2001 CDC survey of high school students showed 19 percent had thought about committing suicide and nearly 9 percent had tried.
If someone you know exhibits the following behavior(s), they might have suicidal tendencies:
Has the person become withdrawn from friends and/or family or undergone a dramatic personality change?
Does the person have trouble concentrating or always seem bored?
Does she or he often act rebellious?
Is she or he having a hard time coping with a major life event such as divorce of parents, death of a sibling, being pregnant?
Is abusing drugs or alcohol or both a common activity?
Is she or he giving things away prized personal possessions?
Does she or he write poems or notes about death?
Does your friend talk or even joke about suicide?
If this person is you, your child or your friend, do not keep quiet. Suicide is preventable, but you must act quickly. Consider these steps: (If you are an adolescent yourself, make sure you involve an adult first.)
Ask directly if they are thinking of committing suicide. Sometimes just saying the word helps the person feel like they are understood and their cries for help have been heard.
Reassure the person of your feelings for them, and listen carefully to them about their feelings. Remind them that you are willing to help them cope with any problem they might have.
Get rid of or lock up all guns, pills and medications of every kind, sharp tools including saws, knives, razors and scissors, and remove all ropes and belts.
Get help from a professional immediately. Don't wait or hesitate. Call this suicide crisis hotline number (toll-free nationwide): 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) for guidance.
Actions or talk of suicide are cries for help. Most teenagers are looking for acceptance, understanding, attention and love.
