Hello people! Today I’m going to talk about teenage depression, yes, the same depression which everybody claims to understand but sadly don’t. I recently was reading this book called 13 reasons why? by Jay Asher, which I know is now an old book, but I am sure that just like me, other people too must have different opinions and insights on this book after reading it, but don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about this book in detail. The thing that caught my attention in this book was this small word “depression”; a small word that has much deeper meaning to it, and certainly, has different meaning to every other individual. 

Every other person claims to understand “Depression”, but the truth is- they don’t. Depression is not something one person can see on the other person, nor does it have any symptoms. Perhaps, scientifically speaking, it does, but people tend to act different going through it apart from what’s written in the books.

Teenage depression is so common nowadays, and the funny part is that some teenagers have gone through depression and came out of it struggling themselves, and they don’t even realize that they had it in the first place! Some people come out of it, and some don’t. Some even end up committing suicide, and the weird part is after their death, people around them complain that they didn’t they talk to them. But the question is. Were you ready to listen? Did you have time? Did you notice those small changes? 

Parents complain too, but did you make your child feel comfortable enough that they could talk to you about anything and everything without feeling judged or getting scared of you, that you might get furious instead of understanding and helping them? Did you make them feel that they can talk their heart out in front of you? 

People want to look for signs, but the reality is, THERE ISN’T ONE. A student scoring perfect scores, doing extremely well in extracurricular activities, healthy, and totally fit, can also be suffering from depression. This is what happens all the time; people don’t realize that a well-established person could also be fighting from his inner demons. He might be waiting to be heard but nobody is there. Don’t just wait for someone to come up to you; try giving a beautiful smile to your fellow mates walking in your school or college corridors, talk sometimes, listen to people; you don’t know how many lives you end up saving or making someone’s day. 

Change starts from YOU, don’t just talk about it, act upon it.