Teen Issue: Depression
Depression may be described as feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps. Most of us feel this way at one time or another for short periods.
True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for a long period of time.
A number of factors can play a role in depression:
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Life events or situations, such as:
- Breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, failing a class, illness or death in the family, or parents divorcing (for adolescents)
- Childhood events, such as abuse or neglect
- Divorce, death of a friend or relative, or loss of a job (for adults)
- Social isolation (common in the elderly)
- Medical conditions such as hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), medications (such as sedatives and high blood pressure medications), cancer, major illness, or prolonged pain
- Sleeping problems
Source/group
National Institute of Mental Health - www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
Hotline - 1-800-999-9999
Depression is a big issue in Don Aker’s The First Stone. The two most influential character’s at one point of another suffer/suffered from Depression.
One way depression relates to the novel is when Reef’s grandmother died. Often, a cause of depression is from the loss of a family member, or abuse. Reef had no one. He lived with his grandparents. His grandfather was an alcoholic who made countless threats towards Reef. Then his grandfather died of a stroke, and his grandmother was diagnosed with Cancer. Soon after, she died, and Reef spent the rest of his years going from home to home, because he always ended up getting into trouble.
Another way depression relates to the novel is when Leeza gets into the car accident. She is forced to stay in a rehabilitation center, because of her major injuries. She has very limited movement, and the pain is unbearable without her morphine. She finds it hard to hold back tears, and tries her hardest to show everyone she’s strong. But she’s not. She cannot believe the wreck her life is.
One other way the depression relates to the novel is when Reef gets assigned to the Rehabilitation center. He never knew how fragile the human body could be. He often gets nightmares thinking about the car accident he caused. He tries not to think about it, but when he does he feels an enormous pang of guilt he doesn’t even realize himself
Sources:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001941/#A000945_reflist
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001941/#A000945_reflist
