The National Institute of Mental Health reports that about 3.2 million 12- to 17-year-olds have had at least one major depressive episode within the past 12 months.

Depression, or Depressive Episode Disorder, is a recurring feeling of severe despondency and dejection. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, symptoms include…

  • Sleep issues on an almost daily basis (either difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much)

  • Changes in appetite and weight (change of more than 5% body weight in a month) or a decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day

  • Decreased energy or fatigue almost every day

  • Difficulty concentrating, making decisions, and thinking clearly

  • Psychomotor agitation or retardation that is observable by others (slow physical movements or unintentional or purposeless motions)

  • Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, a suicide attempt, or a specific plan for suicide

 

Society often stigmatized the terms “depression” and “anxiety”. In other words, society tends to shed a negative light on mental illness which causes everyone affected by it to be generalized and stereotyped. In reality, every being with a mental illness is struggling differently. And every one of those individuals are valid and deserving of support. But this stigma makes it difficult to clearly see that. Instead it results in depression being an uncomfortable and sensitive topic to discuss and those who are affected by it feel ashamed and/or alone. Although together we can break the stigma, and the first step is educating yourself.

Anxiety disorder is generally described as a feeling of nervousness or unease about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. Although anxiety comes in many different forms- G=generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), specific phobias, social anxiety, and panic disorder. Anxiety is also present in post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). According to Mayo Clinic, general symptoms include…

  • Stress that's out of proportion to the impact of the event

  • Inability to set aside a worry

  • Restlessness

  • Lack of concentration

  • Racing/unwanted thoughts

  • Hypervigilance

  • irritability

To be clear, exhibiting just one of these symptoms does not exactly mean someone is experiencing depression or anxiety, although if you find you or a loved one displaying a combination of 3 or more of these symptoms, heavily consider reaching out for support. When reaching out to a loved one, regardless of if it is peer to peer, adult to child, or adult to adult, consider simply listening. Every person experiences depression and anxiety differently, so at first, there is no need to attempt to compare your experiences to theirs.