COMPOSITION I ALTEA GJANA

CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY 27/01/2022

FIRST DRAFT

TOPIC: TEEN DEPRESSION

Causes:

1. Peer pressure

2. Academic expectations

3. Body changing

Effects:

1. Emotional change

2. Behavioural change

The very first time Ellison Sani cut herself, she was in ninth grade. It was precisely 3

a.m. and as her parents and siblings slept, she sat on the edge of the bathtub at her home with

a knife in her hand. Then she cut her wrists. There was blood ... and a feeling of profound

ease. “It makes the world terribly quiet for some seconds,” says Ellison. “For a while I didn’t

wish to stop, as a result of the fact that it was my only coping mechanism. I hadn’t learned

any other way”. On paper, she had a perfect life. For Ellison, cutting was a secret, irresistible

display of the depression that she and millions of teenagers in the world are battling against.

The majority of us have noticed sadness in adolescents. We tend to believe their gloominess

owns to hormones’ lack of balance, unpredictability, or teenage revolt. But teen depression is

a life-threatening concern. Teen depression is a serious mental health problem that comes as a

result of peer pressure, academic expectations and changing bodies; consequently, it brings

up emotional and behavioural changes.

taken while coping with peer pressure strongly influence the success or failure of their future.

There are two types of peer pressure: the positive and the negative one. The main reason of

teen depression is the negative peer pressure. That happens when you are obliged to do

anything that is wrong. A subtle example: comments that can be made by classmates. It can

catch your attention that a group of students try to attack or mock different personal subjects,

such as outfits, hairstyles or even body matters. These observations are made so that the

audience can hear them, trying to get a laughter or point out their “flaws” as a person. The

most difficult type to resist from is the one that makes you behave in certain ways.

Behaviours that include nearly inconsiderable matters in question, like chatting with your

mobile phone to chat when you should be sleeping; to more ultimate behaviours, such as

skipping classes and sneaking out at night. It can also make teens do entirely illegal acts with

very significant consequences, such as theft or physical attacks. When you don’t “obey” to all

this indicated orders, you will be treated as an outcast, be ignored or even left alone. That’s

the first step that you start breaking down and suffer from depression.

In the meantime, evidence demonstrate the depression brought by school pressures and

technology is affecting younger and younger kids. Academic pressure also plays a role,

especially with stress. Ellison got counselling for her depression, which became sever as the

college-application process stepped up. Getting an answer wrong or not being qualified in a

particular class became the main sources of fear. Researchers have suggested that depressed

moods are negatively related to academic achievement. A large number of depressed

individuals may be doing one’s utmost to accomplish their goals considering that they aren’t

strong enough. They might sense that they are not getting as far the standard set for them. As

a result, they constantly feel disappointed and despairing. They start considering themselves

failures and thinking negatively. This problem can for sure contribute to a good deal of
serious problems in their academic life such as poor grades. These days, most adolescents are

very worried about the possibilities of finding a job in the future. Some of them believe that

education is not useful, because plenty of graduated people are not getting employed. In

addition, with so much things going on, there is no time left to participate in any type of

social activities. This lack of “Down-Time” is a big deal and a big cause of depression.

As Ellison describes it, "A lot of value is put on our physical beauty now. All of our

friends are Photoshopping their own photos--it's hard to escape that need to be perfect."

Adolescence is known to be the central phase in the creation of positive or negative body

image. Many influences manage to exist throughout the teen years including puberty that

affect one’s body shape, weight status, and appearance. Principal impacts on body image

involve the media, which can attack teens, and fellows who help structure beliefs about the

perceived body ideal. The notions of fat talk and weight-related bullying during adolescence

seriously play a part in the overemphasis on body weight and appearance as well as the

development of negative body perceptions and lack of satisfaction surrounding specific body

parts. Concerning family, research show that weight-based teasing from parents and siblings

is connected to body dissatisfaction among girls and drive for muscularity among boys in

eighth and ninth grade. That’s how step by step, this giant concern of how your body is

perceived, ends up to everyone’s biggest enemy: depression.

Even though there are a lot of causes that lead to depression, the hardest part is to deal

with its results and effects. Firstly, by knowing that there are two types of change in one’s

personality: emotional change and behavioural change. Then, you are able to get more

information on what one can do to treat depression.

Symptoms such as irregular sleeping habits or eating too much or too little, mark the

difference between the “ups and downs” or moodiness of teens and depression. The main
distinction is that they last for a long time and are associated with impairment. Other signs

you may notice are difficulty with concentration, less motivation and feelings of

worthlessness, guilt and possibly suicide. A teenager must have at least 2 weeks of pervasive

change in mood manifested by either depressed or irritable mood and/or loss of interest and

pleasure. If you are noticing a persistent low or sad mood, pay attention to how your child

talks about the future. A sense of hopelessness or difficulty articulating anything they look

forward to about the future (for a family trip, for a chance to see a friend again, for a new

season of a favourite show) is a sign that emotional health is precarious

“Depression is associated with functional impairment,” Ellison says. “They’re not doing

as well in school. They’re withdrawing from their friends. They’re fighting more with their

parents. That doesn’t mean that everybody who has those problems is depressed. But if you

have somebody with a mood problem and you see a change in their function, those are the

people you suspect have a difficulty with clinical depression.” If you see your child

withdrawing from activities they enjoy – even those around the house – pay attention. If you

see your child persistently struggling with daily living activities that used to be somewhat

easy, keep a close eye on sleep and hygiene. Depressed children and teens tend to sleep much

more or even much less than their peers with a sense of being tired and lethargic. If you

notice behavioural outbursts that happen more often and seem to grow more intense, your

child or teen may be showing the irritability and anger that is common in depression in

children and teens.

Considering the case of Ellison’s family, they got counselling after that. Her parents

learned that they weren't alone. Recovery didn't happen all at once. There were relapses,

sometimes over tiny things. But the Sanis were on the right road. Ellison still struggles at

times with depression. "It's a condition that's not going to totally disappear from my life," she

says, "It's just learning how to deal in a healthy way--not self-harming, not lashing out at
people." To conclude, the thing to do to prevent depression is taking control of stress and

reaching out to people in time of need. If you may think you are suffering from depression,

take it seriously, go to therapy and get the proper treatment.

References
1. (https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE
%7CA94044544&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=0031305X
&p=AONE&sw=w&userGroupName=anon%7E4a17be8e
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4554432/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC