The Accurate Depiction of Adolescent Depression in It’s Kind Of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

It is not uncommon to hear stories about a teenager experiencing mood swings and rebelling against those in authority. Nor is it uncommon to experience general sadness or anxiety in high school and college. However, it is often difficult to tell the difference between normal teenage angst and clinical depression. It is not commonly known that there has recently been a staggering rise of depression in adolescents. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in twelve adolescents in the United States suffer from depression, which is 8.3 % of the teenage population. In order to combat the problem of adolescent depression, it is essential that parents take an active role in their adolescent’s life by both acknowledging and

In the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic & Statistical Manual (APA, 2000) the symptoms of depression are: loss of interest or enjoyment in activities; changing in weight and appetite; changes to sleep pattern; loss of energy; feeling worthless or guilty; suicidal thoughts; poor concentration and being either agitated or slowed up.

Depression and anxiety are serious matter that have become rising issues among teens in America over the past few years. You always see articles or studies that show the numbers and the different forms of the psychological issues, but they never really tell why teens face them. In “Teen Depression and Anxiety: Why the Kids Are Not Alright”, Author Susanna Schrobsdorff purpose for this article is to raise awareness of how serious the situation is. The author appeals to pathos by sharing stories of teens and their parents who face these problems, she uses logos through creditable resources and to show how important the situation is.

Depression is not a generational issue, nor is it an adult issue; it has been the bane of people centuries ago as much as it is today. Also it is “more than just feeling sad or nervous. They are mental disorders that can be fatal” ("Morbidity" 10) and deserve to be taken seriously regardless of the circumstances. Clinical Depression has been in the spotlight and a concern for adolescents in the last few years, exemplified in the recent book; It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. Yet the same affliction of adolescent psychosis is illustrated in one of Shakespeare’s most famous play, “Hamlet” 400 years ago. Diagnosing clinical depression can be quite a difficult task, and even more so in adolescents. Clinical depression “appears to be occurring

During the whole story, Craig is struggling to get through his depression. Some barriers are being stressed from school, being a shadow to Aaron, his dad pressuring him to become someone he's not, and his love for Nia. None of the therapists, doctors, or medicine seems to be working. Their goal is to make the "shift" occur. The "shift" is what Craig refers to as his brain moving back in place where it belongs so he won't be depressed anymore. He also has "tentacles" and "anchors", Tentacles being "evil tasks that invade his life" and Anchors are things that occupy his mind and make

Depression can affect anyone no matter what age or gender you are. Depression can be the result of alcohol and drug use, medical conditions, and stressful life events. Depression can run in the family. There are many types of depression. In the story, teen depression is one of the themes. Teen depression by definition is deep feeling of sadness and hopelessness. It is a lot more than just a feeling of sadness. It can affect everyday life and create big problems. Some symptoms of depression is complaints of pain, difficulty concentrating, loss of usually interests, sadness, anxiety, and turning to drugs and alcohol. A few of the worse symptoms are hearing voices that aren’t there and crying without cause.

Depression can affect and alter a teens life drastically. For example, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, says “Many mornings hath he been seen, with tears augmenting the fresh morning's dew.” This shows how depression is affecting Romeo, a teen, by causing him to be sad and emotional because Rasaline didn’t give him the answer he hoped for. Romeo's behavior from depression can also be recognized in the article, The Teenage Brain Still Under Construction. For example, the article says, “The parts of the brain involved in emotional responses are fully online, or even more active than in adults.”

When this mechanism does not work correctly we experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD), winter blues and, increasingly, non-seasonal depression (aka social jetlag). The typical symptoms of these conditions are depressed mood, lack of energy, carbohydrate craving and weight gain. These are exactly the symptoms expressed by teenagers for the following reason:

Although teenage years are suppose to be a dream for teens, they are quickly becoming a nightmare for some. As result of teenage depression on the rise, affecting not only those depressed. Moreover, there are a need for more methods to help those suffering, causing new emerging letters about teenage depression being of importance. Considering these letters dating back to 1990’s provide the perspective of Charlie, a depressed teen. Providing insight into the life, and personality of a depressed teen, widening the knowledge about depression.

Depression is a severe mood disorder and it is the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorder amongst adolescents. Depression is a state that adolescents can fall easily into. Teenagers spend more time with their friends than they do with their families which can result is possible rejection of peers. Individuals feel the need to have approval of self-worth by their peers. If they get disapproval, this can lead to brutal symptoms. (Platts, Kadosh, Lau 6). The symptoms can vary from self-worthlessness, anxiety, or a

Adolescence is a stage of maturation between childhood and adulthood that denotes the period from the beginning of puberty to maturity. However, many conflicting opinions are raised about weather such a stage of childhood is influenced by stress, depression, and suicide rate. Some people support the optimistic view that says that adolescence is not a period of storm and stress. Others, including me, support an opposite pessimistic view which characterizes adolescence as a period of stress and inner turmoil. Unfortunately, it has been recently proved that depression is a growing problem in today 's society and a major contributing factor for a multitude of adolescent problems. This is because , as research indicates, adolescent depression

Teen Depression is a very serious thing, people want to know what causes it, how to help people that have it, and how to detect it. In this research paper, we will learn the symptoms, and how to diagnose it. Most teens ages 10-19 are diagnosed with depression. Most ways to notice it is if the teen has lost interest in things they used to find fun or their moods seem to drop drastically. There is also usually a loss in appetite or gain in appetite, or weight gain or loss.

Depression a word we’re familiar with especially when it comes to adults, we know adults get depress and we understand the reasons, with the high demands in life it’s not uncommon to get lost in the shuffle. Depression in adult is something we have known for many years, but what has surprised many of us is that adolescents also get depressed. I myself still don’t fully understand the reasons why or how this happens. I see it very often adolescent coming in to the ER because they are depressed and want to hurt themselves, and each and every single time I’m shock. What could be so bad in their lives that would make them think they have no way out? This is the reason why I choice this topic, I want to learn more of how this disease affects so many children and teens and what we can do to stop it.

Two of the more common symptoms of depression are lack of focus, and an inability to concentrate for extended periods of time (Martin). This can cause a drop in ones grades and decrease participation in group projects or presentations. For some, their depression could be bad enough to where it is hard for them to get out of bed to go to school, causing more absences. Some may get themselves in to trouble more often. Depression can also make them isolate themselves from other students and teachers. As a teen said in an interview, “I used to be an excellent student, always got 100’s. I got depression, and they all went down. I was so distracted. I was so confused. I wanted to rebel. I felt horrible.”

To begin with, let us make clear what is depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is described as a serious mental disorder in which a person suffers long time of sadness, loneliness, and other negative feelings. Depression affects how you feel about yourself such as lack of energy and concentration, lose interest in work and hobbies, and have trouble of insomnia. Depression makes life more and more difficult and dispirited. More importantly, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), major depression is the leading cause of mental disorder for people in the United States aged 15 to 44. Recent estimates show that about 10 to 15% of children and teens experience depression at