There are many teens in need of help in the world. Some are obvious and some keep their secret hidden. Some teens might be ‘popular’ and have problems at home or they might be un-social because it’s not them that’s holding back it’s their social anxiety disorder. There are many forms of unhappiness in teens today and adults aren’t paying enough attention. Or parents think it’s just how teens are and that they’ll get over it when they grow older. Some forms of mental or physical abuse are family issues, physical abuse, or sexual abuse, stress, school, anxiety disorder, depression, social issues that cause the person to be unhappy with themselves which leads to cutting, starving themselves, and becoming bulimic. I think that every teen that has these types of issues should get help whether it’s therapy or special school settings/ environments. Some teens attempt to relieve themselves of pain with drugs, alcohol, music, sex and self- harming but, it only gets worse when teens attempt this. Some teens get addicted to the internet and social media because of their issues. Whenever I go on the Internet I see, “Repost if you’ve ever hated yourself or self-harmed” I look to see how many reposts it gets and it’s usually thousands of people. Parents don’t see these kind of posts or their teen’s behavior. They get sucked into their jobs, errands, and other daily activities. There are many things people may not notice what’s really going on in these helpless teens’ lives.


There are countless blogs and statistics on teen suicide. One person named Miri blogged about this exact topic. She claims parents can prevent their teens from getting help by putting labels on their problems such as calling it “teen angst.” She talks about how everyone will need some sort of treatment in their life. She says, “If a teenager mentions or threatens suicide, take them seriously and help them get treatment.” She also claims, “The belief that the thoughts and feelings of children and teenagers are not to be taken seriously is widespread and dangerous and goes far beyond just mental health. It is far better to take someone seriously and get them help when they didn’t really need it than to ignore someone’s call for help and attention when they do need it." (Miri). I completely agree to these statements. I defiantly believe parents could potentially ruin their child’s motivation for asking for mental help. It defiantly lowers their self esteem when you put a label on their emotions. It makes them second guess their feelings. Also there are plenty of statistics according to The Jason Foundation. One being that suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10- 24. Second, more teens die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease, combined. Also, each day there is an average of 5,400 suicide attempts by young people grades 7-12 (The Parent Resource Program The Jason Foundation). There are even more statistics according to Young Minds. One being, between every 1 and 12, and 1 and 15 young adults/ children deliberately self-harm. Second, over 8,000 young adults and children suffer from severe depression. Third, 4.4% or about 195,000 young people have an anxiety disorder (Young Minds). In conclusion, there are endless opinions and statistics on this tragic topic.


There are countless stories on teenage depression. For example, Jeremy had adolescent depression. Here is his story of his multiple accounts of self- harming and several attempts of suicide and his fight for a happier life. Jeremy didn't have the warning signs of adolescent depression, his parents described him as a boy who got good grades, was social and liked playing the guitar. Jeremy’s parents did notice that Jeremy was quiet at times. They soon learned that Jeremy attempted to commit suicide and put him in Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital. A nurse described him as anxious and depressed. Jeremy took individual and group therapy sessions. He soon admitted that he had been harming himself and attempted suicide several times. He was soon diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a condition of when a person has periods of depression and periods of being extremely happy; extreme mood swings. He was put on medication and worked through his therapy until he increasingly got better. Three years later, Jeremy is a straight-A student with a great social life (SHARP). He is now applying to colleges and is doing great. In conclusion, there are many accounts of depression and depression is a very serious mental illness and should be taken seriously.


In conclusion, I believe that troubled teens should be getting more attention. Too many teens have issues such as, family issues, physical abuse, sexual abuse, stress, school, anxiety disorder, depression, social issues, cutting, starving themselves, and bulimia. These teens are secretly asking for help and we aren't listening hard enough. Also, there are countless statistics and blogs about teenage issues that most people don't know about. Such as, Miri’s blog on why you should take teens' mental health seriously. Additionally, there are countless stories. For example, Jeremy's story of battling depression. I believe that for a solution for these troubled teens is therapy or special school settings. If these tormented teens don't get help then their issues will progress and that might lead to suicide. I hope that more people pay more attention to plagued teens because if they don't then who will.