“No one understands me. Why am I still here? I don’t deserve to live anymore. I feel dead inside.”

Have you ever felt like your world was just an empty and sad place to be and life hasn’t treated you well? Do you feel tired and sad, or feel like no one understands you? Do you think you are just that invisible kid that no one really knows? Have your eating habits changed or do you have lack of sleep because of nightmares or twisting or turning? Are you unfocused at school, work or have difficulty of concentrating on lectures and notes? Or maybe you’re struck with grief because your mom, dad, or someone really close to you passed away, and you miss them.

Depression can also affect those around you, including if you are in a relationship. When you are in the relationship and if one of you are depressed it could affect the way you communicate with each other. If a girl or boy in the relationship are not talking or feeling really sad they might not want to talk about what they are feeling. If the boy or girl isn’t talking to their boyfriend or girlfriend it might end with a break up which could add more to the depression.

Depression can make people not wanting to be around you which adds to depression. Depression can also affect your family members because they will start to worry and ask you what is wrong. Most of the  time you want answer. The bottom line is if you are depressed tell your loved ones about it, they will help you and if not, there are sources around you that can provide help.

Depression can happen in many ways and affects many students here at DHS. I’m not saying it’s something you can change in one minute or one hour. It is a disorder that can take a lifetime to overcome. There are ways in which those with depression can overcome their lifestyle and have a better life. There are ways to treat depression. For starters, you can visit our school therapist, Sumrah Jan. She offers to help all the kids here at DHS. What she does is called Talk Therapy, or also known as Psychotherapy. Ms. Jan can help any DHS students who are going through a tough times or dealing with depression. Ms. Jan says that if you are depressed “tell the people you trust.” If that doesn’t help, her assistance is still available.

You shouldn’t be embarrassed if you are trying to get help. I go to Ms. Jan for Talk Therapy. It helps release your feelings when you talk to someone. Ms. Jan is very nice and honest person and she guarantees that all you tell her will stay confidential.

Depression doesn’t go away. It takes time and effort. With help you can see slow changes. Another choice is to talk to you parents to find another solution. After talking to your parents, you can go seek professional help and be prescribed with medication if necessary.

To find out the extent of your depression, you can take free tests at http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/interactive/interactivetests/goldberg.php .

On the Goldberg scale:

                 0-9     Depression unlikely

                10-17     Possibly minor depression

                18-21    On the verge of depression

                21-35     Minor to moderate depression

                36-53    Moderate to severe depression

                54+     Severe Depression

If you are higher than 35 on the scale, you know you are dealing with severe depression. In order to help yourself seeing a doctor is recommended, but Talk Therapy is also an option. Talk Therapy or Psychotherapy is therapeutic interaction or treatment between a trained professional and the patient.

Not everyone is the same with depression. Maybe you lost a loved one and it made you a less talkative person. You are dealing with grief AND depression at the same time. Grief has stages which can lead to depression. Grief is an emotional journey that takes time to heal. Once you are self-affirmed of yourself that your loved one passed away, your depression will slowly lessen.

The world is hard enough as it is, but to bare it alone is nearly impossible. Depression isn’t going to change overnight, but it could change if you tell someone about it, they can help you be happy again. “If the sources don’t work for you then just keep trying.” stated junior Jake Sharp.

For more information about how to deal with depression, visit: http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_tips.htm