Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Ben Henderson
CAS 138
12 April, 2018
Popular works of fiction like 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Looking for Alaska by
John Green, and Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chibosky have started an
avalanche of discussion about the truth behind depression and suicide. Unfortunately,
even with the impact these books have made, the subject of depression is still considered
taboo. There is a stigma and a lack of general education on depression and other mental
illnesses that often deprives many people from getting the assistance that they need.
According to a survey from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), 16.2
million adults in the United States (4.3 percent of all adults in the US) have experienced a
as
A period of two weeks or longer during which there is either depressed mood or loss
of interest or pleasure, and at least four other symptoms that reflect a change in
The NIMH reports that 37 percent of these 16.2 million people received no treatment for
their condition. Shockingly, 3.1 million adolescents (ages 12-17) have experienced a
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major depressive episode and even more concerning is the fact that 60 percent of these
young people have not received treatment (“Major Depression”). This alarmingly high
number of individuals not getting treatment for depression comprises a large portion of
the American population. While there is still a large population of adults who do not
seek help, it is evident from the NIMH study that the predominant issue is that a large
population of adolescents are suffering from severe depression with an even larger
Depression has many side effects, including but not limited to: physical fatigue, a
only does depression have these direct symptoms, but there is also a strong correlation
between depression and suicide. The American Association of Suicidology states that
addition, according to a Mayo Clinic Study, “2% to 9 % of people that have been
disorder much more susceptible to suicidal thoughts. People with depression are 25 times
depression can not only improve day to day mental health, but can actually save lives.
Just like other physical illnesses, depression is a disease. Harvard Medical School
states that “depression doesn't spring from simply having too much or too little of certain
brain chemicals.” Causes of depression range from genetics to stressful life events
Neuroscience which states that some people with depression have a smaller
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hippocampus, a part of the brain that is essential in regulating moods. This research
The most effective solution to this problem would be to introduce information about
depression into health classes starting at an elementary school level. The mental illness
education would be annual and age appropriate starting early in elementary or primary
schools. Children would learn about the science of mental diseases and understand the
basic physiology behind the psychological effects of depression. In addition, the students
condition which requires proper medical assistance. This would better prepare young
people on how to handle depression and other mental illnesses if they are afflicted with
Some school systems do already have depression awareness activities, but these
would be more effective if implemented for students at a younger age. Programs such as
the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP), which teaches high school
students and parents about depression, are spreading across the country (Mennitto). In
general, prevention and identification measures in school systems take place only at the
intermediate and high school level, as this is when adolescents tend to start to display
symptoms of depression. What the current programs fail to understand is that attempting
to treat the issue after the symptoms have already started is much too late. Educating
students starting at a young age is essential. Although the majority of the population that
is depressed is of adolescent age or older, depression can affect anyone at any age, even
in the first years of primary school (Huberty). For this reason, education on depression
must start at a relatively young age, in order to prepare children before symptoms occur.
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Not only does educating students on depression in elementary school prepare
children for the onset of symptoms, but teaching information about mental illness to
young people is also essential to changing the stigma that surrounds the discussion of
hold negative attitudes and stereotypes towards people with mental illness.” Friedman
describes that children and adults alike use words such as “crazy” to describe anyone
with a mental illness, and often feel that regardless of the illness, those affected are
unstable or dangerous. This stigma towards mental illnesses often leads to what
Friedman describes as social distancing. Those affected with mental illnesses are often
socially ostracized and made to feel even more isolated. The fear of this social rejection
feeling of self-worth (Friedman). Both the social and self-stigma surrounding mental
illness causes many people to be afraid to admit to themselves and others that they are
unwell and in need of professional help. Education, especially starting at a young age is
the best time to change societal perspectives. According to Christopher Lucas, an expert
in cognitive development at the University of Edinburgh, children are more open to new
ideas than adults due to how human brains develop. Young children’s brains are so
focused on learning and developing, they are more open to accepting the fact that mental
illness is not something to be ashamed of but something to seek medical assistance for.
For some people affected by depression, it is not only the societal stigma that stops
them from getting help, but also their lack of knowledge on the subject. Often times,
people with depression do not truly realize that they are sick. Psychologist John Mayor
observes that people with depression may notice the symptoms, but they think that the
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negative symptoms are their fault and they fail to understand the biological root cause of
the issue (Miller). Similarly, many people lack accurate knowledge on the subject of
treatments for depression. Psychologist Alicia Clark describes how often those afflicted
by the disease may not believe there is any treatment that will work or they feel that they
elementary school health classes would allow children to feel more comfortable in
admitting to themselves that they could be sick and need to seek treatment. By dealing
with mental illness as a disease and teaching the science behind it, children will not be as
confused about what is happening to their body. If a child ends up being afflicted with
depression or mental illness, they would think of it simply as a disease that they learned
about in school and seek treatment in the same manner they would for any other disease.
Education has been proven effective in changing behavior of students on other topics.
One of the more recent additions to health classes has been sex education. According to
Sex education has proven effective in changing the behavior of students. The
effectiveness of education seen in this study, would also apply to depression education.
Not only would this policy be effective, but it would also be an affordable
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mandating specific health programs. This would allow for a flexible approach to
incorporating the teaching of depression and mental illness. As many elementary schools
do not have a specific “health class,” depression could be taught by teachers in science
class, or in a special lecture. In addition, many elementary schools have counselors who
come to talk to students about behavioral interactions, these counselors could be tasked
with discussing mental health as well. The way that the information is taught could be
left largely up to the school and thus can be adapted to best fit the needs of the students,
similarly flexible manner. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 99
percent of public elementary and secondary schools have some sort of nutrition
incorporated into the general curriculum (“Nutrition Education”). The flexibility of the
inclusion of depression into the curriculum would allow the school or state to find the
most affordable options. The biggest overhead cost would be writing the basic
curriculum. Luckily, school curriculums are being constantly rewritten and so would not
likely cause any major financial burden. The small cost of writing new teaching plans
and health program curriculums is undoubtedly worth saving the lives of the many
The people most likely to oppose this policy would be the parents of the students
receiving the education. Common fears such as the idea that suicide education “gives
students ideas” are sure to be present. In addition, parents may be uncomfortable with
the idea of their young child learning about suicide. To combat this issue, a letter
supported by research by psychologists like Steve Scholzman that disproves the myth that
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depression or mental illness “gives ideas” to students about suicide would be sent home
to parents (Scholzman). In addition, the letter would describe the age appropriate
fear that parents might have is that by adding more information into the current
curriculum other valuable information will not be taught to the children. In the letter sent
home to the parents, the magnitude of the importance of this education would be
emphasized as well as the fact that it will not take up much time. Hopefully this letter
and other sources of open communication between the school and parents would address
these concerns.
If this policy were instituted, students in elementary school would understand that
depression is a disease; they would have basic knowledge about the symptoms of
depression and what physiologically is happening in the brain. When some students
become afflicted with depression in the future they will understand what is happening to
them and know the steps they should take to get the treatment they need. These students
will be able to talk to their friends about what is happening to them, and their friends will
be able to help and not judgmental due to their understanding and acceptance of
depression as an illness. This policy will slowly end the stigma associated with
depression and will lower the suicide rate by helping to get people the treatment they
need.
population. Not only does depression have negative consequences on the daily lives of
those afflicted, but it is a significant cause of suicide. Many people do not get the
professional help they need for this disease because of the stigma that surrounds mental
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illness and due to a lack of understanding of the nature of depression. To remedy these
issues, education on depression and other mental illnesses should be incorporated into
health classes starting in early elementary school. By educating children early in their
lives, the stigma against mental illness will decrease, children will understand depression
as a disease, and they will be able to better prepared if they become afflicted. This
solution is feasible, effective, and should face minimal opposition. Instituting this policy
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Works Cited