Depression is a severe disorder that replaces the jubilant liveliness of youth with melancholy, lethargic emotions. Affecting 20% of teenagers, this mental illness is not something to take light heartedly. Its effects dramatically decrease the pleasure of life, as its victims lose hope for the future and interest in the activities they once enjoyed. Contrary to what appears to be a reasonable assumption, those of higher socioeconomic status are not “immune” to depression. Money is not always a source for happiness, but in fact, can be the cause of an onset of mental disorders. While the affluent do not face the same issues of those of lower socioeconomic status, they do have their own problems that can just as easily cause depression. The modern
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Stress can be the response of many activities, from the accretion of trivial problems to the death of a relative or friend (Rudolph). There is a certain level of stress that differentiates eustress (a healthy amount of stress) and hyperstress (too much stress). These levels are implicated in the diathesis-stress model, showing that each person varies in vulnerability to the quantity of stress that causes an individual to develop depression. In a study comparing the prevalence of depression with those with diathesis or those without, there was a difference of 16% (Diathesis). This concludes that the amount of stress that an individual can cope with is different for each person, making certain individuals more or less vulnerable to depression. While not everyone experiences life altering events that can lead to a mental disorder, everyone faces daily stressors that can just as easily accumulate to the hyperstress, thus, leading to depression. Especially at a young age, teenagers undergo major chemical changes that may amplify their levels of stress. Because of this, it is critical that teenagers are aware of their stress levels and accustom their lives accordingly in order to have a healthy, balanced life. Craig, in It’s Kind of a Funny Story, is overwhelmed by the accumulation of stressors and can no longer handle all of …show more content…
Essentially, what stimulates the need to be perfect is the “fear of failure” as Novotney stated. In a study that interviewed the families of those who committed suicide, over half of the families claimed that the student had the reputation of fearing failure (Dahl). Students overemphasize on having the highest test scores and set unreasonable expectations that cannot always be met. If the students perform on a level that is below these set standards, they deem it as a failure. Especially as the difficulty of courses increases through college, the student may not be able to achieve to the degree that he or she once did. This can lead to the feeling of incompetence and low self-esteem, both factors of which can easily cause depression. A student from Lake Oswego High School describes the pressure he feels to have perfect grades: “The way I feel about it is you have one chance, and if you f*** it up, by getting a B in APUSH, or any other class, it’s over. You’ve failed. No more chances. […] I need a 4.5 to get into Berkeley engineering. I can’t do that with a B now can I?” (Stuart). Stuart feels an extreme amount of pressure to be the best and sets expectations that are overwhelmingly difficult to meet. Getting a B in a class is far from failing, but this above average grade can seem inadequate when comparing
Stress can be the response of many activities, from the accretion of trivial problems to the death of a relative or friend (Rudolph). There is a certain level of stress that differentiates eustress (a healthy amount of stress) and hyperstress (too much stress). These levels are implicated in the diathesis-stress model, showing that each person varies in vulnerability to the quantity of stress that causes an individual to develop depression. In a study comparing the prevalence of depression with those with diathesis or those without, there was a difference of 16% (Diathesis). This concludes that the amount of stress that an individual can cope with is different for each person, making certain individuals more or less vulnerable to depression. While not everyone experiences life altering events that can lead to a mental disorder, everyone faces daily stressors that can just as easily accumulate to the hyperstress, thus, leading to depression. Especially at a young age, teenagers undergo major chemical changes that may amplify their levels of stress. Because of this, it is critical that teenagers are aware of their stress levels and accustom their lives accordingly in order to have a healthy, balanced life. Craig, in It’s Kind of a Funny Story, is overwhelmed by the accumulation of stressors and can no longer handle all of …show more content…
Essentially, what stimulates the need to be perfect is the “fear of failure” as Novotney stated. In a study that interviewed the families of those who committed suicide, over half of the families claimed that the student had the reputation of fearing failure (Dahl). Students overemphasize on having the highest test scores and set unreasonable expectations that cannot always be met. If the students perform on a level that is below these set standards, they deem it as a failure. Especially as the difficulty of courses increases through college, the student may not be able to achieve to the degree that he or she once did. This can lead to the feeling of incompetence and low self-esteem, both factors of which can easily cause depression. A student from Lake Oswego High School describes the pressure he feels to have perfect grades: “The way I feel about it is you have one chance, and if you f*** it up, by getting a B in APUSH, or any other class, it’s over. You’ve failed. No more chances. […] I need a 4.5 to get into Berkeley engineering. I can’t do that with a B now can I?” (Stuart). Stuart feels an extreme amount of pressure to be the best and sets expectations that are overwhelmingly difficult to meet. Getting a B in a class is far from failing, but this above average grade can seem inadequate when comparing