High Life / A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Dark Days for Depressed Teens

Consider the case of Heather. You might never guess that this high school senior, who is a member of the student government and recently performed the lead in the school play, had ever been severely depressed.

But during her sophomore year, Heather (not her real name) felt as if she had no friends. She was lonely and isolated, and her grades began to slip.

“I would sit on a curb in the quad and just do my homework,” she said. “No one ever came up to me or said hello. I felt like I wasn’t accepted. I felt like I had no goals anymore. . . . I didn’t really care what happened to me.

“I would stay home, close all the blinds and stay in bed, night and day,” she said. “I absolutely hated going to school.”

For many teen-agers, depression isn’t just a label for dark and lonely feelings they’re experiencing--it’s a mental mind-set they believe they can’t escape.

It can become even more depressing during the holiday season and at year’s end, when teen-agers and adults often experience feelings of depression and stress.

Researchers have discovered that this depression may be related to an affliction known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.

Its victims are often lethargic, withdrawn and irritable, while craving excessive amounts of sleep and carbohydrates during the winter, when there are longer periods of darkness than light.

In essence, sufferers of SAD undergo what could be considered hibernation, as they retreat from social functions and activities.

However, therapists are combatting the effects of SAD simply by exposing their patients to varying degrees of artificial sunlight.

Depression, which is the most common mental illness, afflicts about 5% of the population. Studies have found that about 2% to 3% of today’s children and teen-agers are believed to be seriously depressed, with some groups, such as teen-age girls, showing higher rates.

Abuse, a death or a divorce in the family often contribute to depression in young people. However, clinical depression--which is characterized by changes in sleeping and eating behavior, persistent pessimism, mood swings, lack of concentration and dramatic changes in grades--is not necessarily brought on by a specific incident. It is a more severe form of depression, and is not just “the blues” that we all experience from time to time.

Many teen-agers similar to Heather develop depression when facing the combination of a cliquish atmosphere at school, problems in family relationships and trouble with studies.

However, depression often goes unnoticed by parents, and sometimes by the sufferer, since its symptoms resemble those of normal teen-age “growing pains.”

Thoughts of suicide may even be entertained by teen-agers who see no other way out. The suicide rate among people 15 to 24 years old has risen 150% in the past 20 years, and suicide is second only to accidents as the most common cause of death among teen-age boys.

Another contributor to depression is stress. Many students find themselves ready to fall off the high wire as they try to balance academic loads, extracurricular activities and family obligations, while subject to the natural pressures of being a teen-ager.

What’s worse is that things don’t necessarily get easier with growing up.

A 1988 survey of more than 300,000 college freshmen found that feelings of depression and stress among them were more common than among the freshmen of 1987.

In the study, 10.5% of the freshman said they had frequently felt depressed during the past year, compared to 8.3% who felt that way in 1987.

In addition, 21.5% reported feeling “overwhelmed” by all they had to do, compared to 16.4% the year before.

Researchers think that rising costs of college and greater competition for admission to selective institutions have combined to put increased stress on young people, sometimes triggering depression.

While depression is the most common mental illness, it is also one of the most treatable.

One of the obstacles its sufferers might have to overcome, however, is blame for their depression. There’s a common conception that if a person is depressed, it is because he is lazy, weak or stubborn.

“There’s a very strong feeling in our society that people should solve their own problems,” said Dr. Kenneth Jaffe, chief of outpatient psychiatric services at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., in a recent article. “It’s hard for many people to accept that this is a real illness, that it fits the medical model for an illness, and that it is not a cop-out.”

Researchers assert that depression is an illness to be taken seriously.

In some cases, doctors can prescribe non-addictive, anti-depressant medication. By eliminating the most troubling of the patient’s symptoms, the medication allows the patient’s emotional chemistry a chance to repair itself and rest.

Another treatment is therapy: either one-on-one with a psychiatrist or in a group setting. By talking out their feelings, many sufferers are able to identify specific causes of their depression and to realize they are not alone in their situations.

“When I started getting my priorities straight and began to take part in life, everything just sort of fell into place,” Heather said. “Friends, schoolwork--everything.

“I’ve determined what sorts of things are important to me, and I’ve been setting short-term goals in order to achieve long-term goals. I’ve found out what’s important to me, and I do what makes me happy.”