Depression

As kids grow older, they go through more emotional changes. With puberty, hormones and learning how to handle things differently such as school, home life, stress and more responsibilities, kids can easily get lost in the juggling act of stress. With the new world of hormones and emotions, kids can experience a whirlwind of feelings. Our textbook talked about the dip in self-esteem as kids go through puberty and look at themselves differently. I think kids and young adults are putting far too much pressure on themselves to do well and get in over their heads on what others think. I feel for the kids who get stuck in a “rut” and can’t seem to find their way back. I also understand the stress that kids are putting on themselves now, and can understand why they feel the need to do well at a lot at once. Reading about depression and suicide had me really thinking about why kids feel the need to do well all the time. I found it interesting how the book talked about the age groups and studies on depression and suicide. When reading the chart, I wouldn’t have expected the girl’s depression and suicide rates to drop as they went through high school and the boys to stay roughly the same or go up. I also found no surprise to read that the rate of suicide is higher than it was 50 years ago. Like I said earlier, I think kids put far too much pressure on themselves to do so well and worry too much about what others will think. With a mindset like that, you’d naturally feel the pressure to do well and obligated to not disappoint. I hope society will change in the future so the pressure is far less and kids can enjoy their school careers and their young adult lives.