People have started realizing that teenage depression can be reversed and that one of the most appropriate ways for doing this is to create awareness about the problem among parents, teachers and also the affected adolescents. Therefore, a number of organizations, schools and other institutions are conducting various types of programs for making people understand the issue and know how to handle the affected teens.
Teenage depression can negatively impact the life of the affected teen
Parents and teachers should understand that the effect of teenage depression is not limited to the sad feelings of the affected teens. The problem may alter and negatively impact every aspect of the affected teens’ life. Some teens may develop the habit of drug abuse, a few others may take to drinking, the problem may lead to pregnancy in some of the affected girls and in certain cases, they may exhibit violent behaviors also. There are instances of suicides and suicide attempts also in extremely affected children.
Purpose of programs
A study reveals that only 20% of the adolescents are affected by teenage depression but unfortunately, only 20% of these affected teens are getting guidance and help. But these programs can go a long way in helping the concerned families, teachers, co-students and friends of the affected children so that they can understand and know the symptoms of teenage depression and render a helping hand to these young people and take them along the path of recovery.
Depression-and-the-adolescent program
One such program is the one that is being presented by the Glenbard Township School and this program is known as the Depression-and-the-Adolescent – Recognizing-and-Treating-the-High-School-Blues.
ADAP
Another program known as Adolescent-Depression-Awareness-Program (ADAP) is for educating students who belong to high schools, teachers as well as parents about the issue of depression. The organizers of this program have designed a student curriculum, a few presentations to help parents as well as communities and a program for training health professionals and those professionals who belong to the schools. The purpose of ADAP is to deliver the basic message that issues like depression, bipolar disorder, etc. are treatable but the parents, teachers and relatives should provide the required help to the affected teens and should also motivate them to seek help.
The aim of ADAP is to create awareness in young people about depression and mood disorders so that they can seek appropriate and timely help for evaluating their problems and treating them. ADAP’s mission is to popularize the student curriculum throughout the nation so that school-based professionals will incorporate it into the existing school curriculum.
Objectives of ADAP
The first objective is to educate students, parents as well as teachers about issues like depression, bipolar disorder. Secondly, they want to constantly measure and monitor the impact created by the program on people’s knowledge about depression and their attitudes towards the issue.
Partners-For-Life Program
The objectives of the Partners-For-Life Program are not different from those of others. This program also wants to educate adolescents, parents and teachers about teenage depression problem and bipolar disorder. They also want to measure how their program impacts the knowledge as well as attitudes about the problem.
According to them, the strengths of the program are it is offered free of cost, the facilitators are young, dynamic and competent, the content of the program has been validated by professionals and experts and its approach focuses on the realities of the issues of the affected people. The program consists of interactive sessions in which humor and techniques like visualization are used appropriately. The program sessions are available in French as well as English.