DOWN, BUT NOT ALONE

By ANDREW FITZPATRICK

John is sitting alone in the lunchroom.  This is not the first time he has opted to sit by himself.  He has been sitting alone since the beginning of October ever since his brother died in a car accident.  Today, he is surrounded by a plethora of students who are sitting together, laughing and socializing.  On the other hand, John is thinking about how much he does not want to be in that cafeteria, alone among a crowd of teenagers.  He wishes someone were there for him.  John is just one example of a student who goes through the daily struggle of depression.

ANDREW FITZPATRICK FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

Depression is a very serious issue in America, especially among children between the ages of 14-24.  According to Mental Health America, statistics have increased over the years, reaching 8.2% of teens that suffer from depression.  That is about one out of every twelve teens. Think about this: if there is a class of twenty-four people, on average, two people in that class might suffer from depression.  

Often times, students show signs of depression. According to Web.MD, some of these signs include loss of interest in daily activities, appetite or weight changes, sleep changes, anger or irritability, loss of energy, self-loathing, reckless behavior, problems with concentration, unexplained aches and pains, helplessness, hopelessness, and even thoughts of suicide.

Depression can often lead to cases of suicide among teens.  According to Save.org, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people people between the ages of 15-24.  One suicide occurs every forty seconds.  While walking in the halls from class to class in a four minute span, six people have ended their lives.  Those people could quite possibly be six students in our very own hallways.  When school is in session from 7:35 until 2:06, 23,460 seconds have gone by, meaning there have been about 587 deaths due to suicide in that span of time.  That is well over one third of Washingtonville’s high school students.  

Depression can be treated, and suicide can be prevented.  There are many ways to get help within Washingtonville High School.  Paul Saladino, a social worker at the high school, is part of a mental health team that helps the student body.  “The mental health team consists of all of the guidance counselors, two psychologists, and two social workers.  This gives students immediate in-house resources for them to use however they’d like.” 

Saladino is extremely grateful to students that he often sees helping out their peers in times of trouble.  “I have been very satisfied by all of the peer referrals that the mental health team receives. It gives us a chance to do our job and it could ultimately help out this student that suffers from mental health problems.”

As well as getting help within the school, students can also gain the help they need outside of the confines of the building.  There are two local hotlines, Mobile Mental Health (1.888.750.2266) and Text 4 Teens (1.845.391.1000).  Students can contact these hotlines and get immediate help from a representative within this organization.  There is also the National Suicide Prevention Hotline (1.800.273.8255). These hotlines are available for anyone, anytime.

These issues have really hit home in Washingtonville.  An anonymous freshman at Washingtonville, who has had first hand experience with a friend who ended her life by committing suicide, understands that, “it is very important for teens to seek help when they are considering ending their lives.  People need to be more cautious about what they say to people because they may take it the wrong way and it may hurt their feelings, and it could lead to more than just sadness.”  This student also added that preventing suicide and helping aid depression is a team effort.  “Teens should seek help from their peers.  It is very important that they reach out to close friends to help them even if they get mad if they try to seek help without consent from the victim.  If the victim is acting suspiciously lately and feeling down, it is a good thing to check in on them. These little things could be the difference in saving a life.”

Depression and suicide are two issues in America that need serious attention.  If a friend is down or acting differently than usual, speak up.  This could be the difference between life and death.  If a student suffers from depression or is having thoughts of suicide, things may seem gloomy and giving up may feel like the only option.  Anyone that is depressed, or considering suicide, should remember that there will always be someone that cares and wants to help, even if the common belief is that nobody does.  

At the end of the day, people will not remember what fellow classmates said or did, they will remember how they made them feel.  The smallest act of kindness can go a long way, so make sure to treat everyone the way you would want to be treated.