DEFEATING
DEPRESSION Depression and anxiety can be serious problems, here is a look at some of the effects they can have.
SHE IS JUST over exaggerating. She needs to cheer up. Can she just calm down? She just needs to be happy. She isn’t the same person she used to be. She is just doing this for attention. These are all phrases that society has pushed onto those who suffer with depression and anxiety. Maybe it is because of the lack of understanding of what depression and anxiety really are, or maybe it is just because of the stigma that is associated with the phrase ‘I am depressed.’ Whatever the cause, depression and anxiety are everyday problems with which many teenagers are suffering. Anxiety and depression are disorders that affect one’s mental health. A counselor with a Master’s Degree in marriage and family therapy, Christen Engel describes depression as “feeling stuck in some way,” and anxiety as “feeling worried and/or fearful about the future.” However, these are just simple definitions of the disorders, and there is so much more to them. Depression and anxiety are different for everyone who encounters them. Some may have situational depression accompanied by some anxiety whereas others may have clinical depression accompanied with severe anxiety. Although they are separate conditions, Engel believes that “anxiety and depression usually go hand-in-hand.” Now, since high school is such a pivotal time in someone’s life and the decisions one makes during these four years tend to matter the most, depression and anxiety are prevalent at this age. Holly Robles, the Student Assistance Counselor for Boerne Independent School District, said, “Depression and anxiety are everywhere, even at Geneva. Just because we do not talk about it doesn’t mean it is not happening. People tend to think it’s the loners who are suffering with it, but that’s not true, it’s everywhere.” In fact, according to a study done by the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately G | 58 | FEATURE
BY JACQUELINE KNOX
Layout by Jacqueline Knox Photo by Jacqueline Knox Graphic by Nathan Zuniga & Audrey Ryden (next page)
one in five teenagers has an anxiety or depressive disorder.
DEPRESSION Geneva alumnus Emily Riedlinger (’14) was diagnosed with clinical depression the summer after her sophomore year. She knows exactly what it is like to struggle through high school while struggling through depression.
I WASN’T ASHAMED OR EMBARRASSED OF MY DEPRESSION ITSELF, I WAS ASHAMED AND EMBARRASSED OF WHAT DEPRESSION WAS MAKING ME DO OR NOT DO. “You have no drive. You aren’t doing any of the things you should be doing. You aren’t doing any of the things you want to be doing. You want to want to do things, but you can’t, so you just start drowning. You really start to hate yourself,” said Riedlinger. “It made me feel pretty worthless.” Not only does depression affect the way you view yourself by causing an extreme amount of negativity, it attacks the way you function on a day-today basis. The simple tasks that you used to be able to complete with ease are suddenly huge burdens. Even