Platform : Teen Depression: ‘Even Elite Students Suffer’

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the incidence of adolescents taking their own lives has tripled in the past 30 years. In Southern California, two 14-year-olds executed a mutual suicide in Victorville late last month. JAMES BLAIR talks with mental health experts, school counselors and students about how they view the problem of teen depression in Southern California. KATHIE FAUGHT

Impact coordinator, John F. Kennedy High School, Granada Hills

We are a community devastated by the quake. Our campus was destroyed. We have families who still are not back in their homes or they lived in their homes for awhile and then moved out--a lot of bizarre, almost transient, living conditions. So the families that support these kids are in disarray. For some, there are real financial problems and that undermines the kids.

Since the quake, I’ve seen a huge increase in numbers. Kids who were able to keep things from bothering them can’t do it anymore. They’re not willing to keep everything inside. Kids that I never would have imagined came out of the woodwork with big problems. Many students who had held themselves together well simply refused to do so and just stopped working, stopped being involved.

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ELIZABETH FELTON

Psychiatric social worker, Washington High School, South-Central Los Angeles

Generally, students aren’t referred due to “depression.” Something else gets the attention of a teacher or a dean, or a parent says, “I don’t know what’s going on with my child. All of a sudden they’re breaking curfew.”

What we usually notice in school is that they’re acting out--having trouble with teachers, grades are dropping. Sometimes they report not sleeping or that they’re sleeping from the time they get home until the next day when it’s time to come to school. They’re not eating or they’re overeating. Some admit to using drugs or alcohol--getting high a lot--and isolating themselves.

Initially, the major concern is to assess how depressed they are. If we determine suicide is a possibility, we would have them evaluated to see if they need to be hospitalized, ask about past attempts, notify the parents and give them resources.

If it’s not that serious, we offer them support. We’re available on an individual basis, offer peer counseling, get the parents involved. We have hot lines they can call 24 hours a day. And sometimes we have to refer to outside agencies.

What Students Say

LINDSAY ROCK

17, editor of the Mane Thing student newspaper, Arlington High School,

Riverside

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We chose depression for a cover story because a lot of people out there, including the elite students, suffer from it.

We found out that one of the issues (that affect teens) is the breakdown of the family, such as divorce. Also, if you’re a senior, I know from personal experience that I get depressed when I’m scared that I might not get accepted to a (particular) college.

We talked about what the extremes are if a person suffers from depression. We offered places students could call if they thought about suicide. We talked about therapy. The story got a lot of positive responses. People would come up to me and say, “Thank you. I know I’m not alone now.”

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HAN PHUNG

18, senior, Monrovia High School

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I’ve seen students with high grade point averages, great parents that have high expectations for them, have depressions because they can’t meet those expectations. But I’ve also seen students with depression when they live in a household where their mother is never there or they are just not well cared-for. And I’ve seen depression where students don’t have high self-esteem and think that no one loves them. I’ve seen them cry. I’ve seen them on the edge of being ready to give up.

I think they feel lonely because they don’t really think there are people out there for them. They think that they have to deal with their problems by themselves.

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KIMBERLY YORTY

17, senior class president, Westminster High School

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It’s kind of ironic because the theme of our senior T-shirts is “The end of the 12-year depression.” But I don’t know too many people who are really depressed. It’s more anxiety.

Many of the people I’m associated with in the honors classes are going to college. They have a lot of pressure about what the future will hold. Pressure comes from knowing that if you don’t get accepted to college your peers will be saying, “Oh, well, where did you get accepted?” I know that depression comes from breakups of relationships and friendships that are going to be left behind when the school year ends.

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ISAIAH SOTO

18, senior, student body commissioner of activities, publicity and special events, Fremont High School, Los Angeles

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One of my friends was really depressed. He is a big fan of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain (who committed suicide last April). One of my friends is constantly depressed because a girl that he likes is not interested in him. Stuff like that.

But you don’t see suicides because of depression around here. I guess our culture, predominantly Latino, (makes it) not really an issue for us even though we have problems at home. Surviving--making it in the future--that’s what we try to do.