Youth: Don’t Battle Depression Alone

Jul. 12, 2013 / By

Reporter Karla Martinez turns to her father to get through difficult moments. Photo: KARLA MARTINEZ

Karla Martinez/COACHELLA UNINCORPORATED

It is hard to believe that so many young people, with so much life ahead, are willing to give up the most precious gift ever given — their own life.  But it’s true.

According to the Center for Disease Control, suicide is the third leading cause of death for youth between the ages of ten and twenty-four in the United States.

This really hit home when I recently noticed a friend acting strange by posting depressing things on Facebook. It was obvious he needed someone to talk to so I decided to message him, hoping he would reply. When he did, we talked for what seemed like a lifetime, but I wasn’t sure if he would tell me what was wrong with him. When he did, I gave him all the uplifting advice I could. I learned he was stressed out because he was confused about the type of person he was becoming. Growing up can be very complicated.

I remember specifically something he told me: “We don’t ask for help when we feel depressed because no one takes it serious.”

He was right; but how bad do things need to get before we seek the attention we deserve? Just like any disease, depression strikes hard. We’re too young to go through such things.

Read more at Coachella Unincorporated

 

 

Tags:

Coachella Unincorporated

Coachella Unincorporated is a Youth Media Startup in the East Coachella Valley, funded by the Building Healthy Communities Initiative of The California Endowment and operated by New America Media in San Francisco. The purpose of the project is to report on issues in the community that can bring about change. Coachella Unincorporated refers to the region youth journalists cover but also to the unincorporated communities of the Eastern Valley with the idea to “incorporate” the East Valley into the mainstream Coachella Valley mindset.