Depression is a serious mental health condition

and is more than just feeling sad or going

through a rough patch. Depression can be
described as living in a black hole, or having
the feeling of impending doom. Some feel
lifeless, empty, angry,aggressive, and restless.
In some cases depression can interfere with
your everyday life. Some people only
experience one episode with depression, but
for most people is reoccurs. Depression
requires, understanding, and a good recovery
plan. With the right treatment and support some people with depression get better.
People with severe depression and do not get help are at a higher risk for suicide.
Depressive disorders come on several different forms: Clinical depression,
dysthymia,and bipolar disorder.
Clinical depression
People with clinical depression or major depression have a depressed mood most
of the day, loss of interest in normal activities, and relationships. They have
feelings of hopelessness or emptiness for over two weeks. Some people have
trouble sleeping, they lose weight,and feel irritable. Others can function well and
put on a happy face in front of others. When deep down they feel depressed
and disinterested in life. Some people also have difficulty concentration and
memory, and thoughts of suicide. Doctors look for 9 symptoms that doctors look
for in clinical depression. If a patient has 5 or more of the symptoms in the past
two weeks they are diagnosed.
Feelings of sadness or irritability
Loss of interest in sex and activities once enjoyed
Changes of weight or appetite
Changes in sleeping patterns
Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
Inability to concentrate, remember things, or make decisions
Fatigue or loss of energy
Restlessness or decreased activity noticed by others
Thoughts of suicide or death

Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy,
activity levels, and the ability to day to day tasks. Bipolar is different from the
normal ups and downs in life. Bipolar disorder can result in damaged relationships,
poor school performance, and even suicide. Children with bipolar disorder are more
likely to be irritable and prone to destructive tantrums than to be overly happy and
elated. Mood swings happen faster and more times during the day. Mood shifts can
happen shifts can occur only a few times a year or as often as several times a
week. Bipolar is a long term illness that should be managed. In most cases bipolar
disorder can be controlled with medications and psychotherapy. The symptoms of
bipolar disorder can be severe and dangerous.
Excessively high, overly good,euphoric mood
Increased energy,activity,and restlessness
Racing thoughts,and jumping from one idea to another
Extreme irritability
Little sleep needed
Poor judgement
Spending sprees
Aggressive behaviors

Dysthymia
Dysthymia is also known as persistent depressive disorder. It is a continuous long-
term form of depression. If you have dysthymia you generally experience little or
no joy in their lives. It may seem like you have been depressed all your life.
Dysthymia tends to form early on in a person's life. Dysthymia symptoms change
from day to day and from week to week. With this disorder you are usually in a
depressive mood for most days. Symptoms cause clinically significant distress or
impairment in social, occupational, or important areas of functioning.
Low appetite or overeating
Trouble sleeping or excessive sleeping
Low self esteem
Trouble concentrating
Hopelessness
Recurring thoughts of suicide
Being restless.
Amanda Michelle Todd (November 27, 1996 October 10, 2012)
killed herself at the age of 15 at her home in Port Coquitlam,
British Columbia, Canada. She was in grade 7 (2009/2010),
around the same time she moved in with her father,she used video chat to meet
new people over the Internet and she received compliments on her looks. A
stranger convinces Todd to bare her breasts on camera, following one year of
attempts at having her do so. The individual later blackmailed her with threats of
providing the topless photo to her friends unless she gave him a show". during the
Christmas 2010 break, police informed her at 4:00 a.m. that the photo was
circulating on the Internet.She wrote that she experienced anxiety, depression, and
panic disorder due to her experiences of being sexually exploited online and being
cyberbullied. Her family moved to a new home, where Todd later stated that she
began using drugs and alcohol. A year later, the individual reappeared, creating a
Facebook profile which used the topless photograph as the profile image, and
contacting classmates at her new school.Again Todd was teased, eventually
changing schools for a second time. A year later, the individual
reappeared, creating a Facebook profile which used the topless
photograph as the profile image, and contacting classmates at her
new school.Again Todd was teased, eventually changing schools
for a second time. Following the attack, Todd attempted suicide by
drinking bleach, but she survived after being rushed to hospital to
have her stomach pumped. After returning home, Todd discovered
abusive messages about her failed suicide attempt posted to
Facebook.In March 2012, her family moved to another city to start
afresh, but Todd was unable to escape the past.According to her
mother, "Every time she moved schools he would go undercover
and become a Facebook friend. What the guy did was he went
online to the kids who went to (the new school) and said that he
was going to be a new student that he was starting school the
following week and that he wanted some friends and could they
friend him on Facebook. He eventually gathered people's names
and sent Todd's video to her new school, Including students,
teachers and parents. After returning home, Todd discovered
abusive messages about her failed suicide attempt posted to
Facebook.In March 2012, her family moved to another city to start
afresh, but Todd was unable to escape the past.According to her
mother,"Every time she moved schools he would go undercover
and become a Facebook friend. What the guy did was he went
online to the kids who went to (the new school) and said that he
was going to be a new student that he was starting school the
following week and that he wanted some friends and could they
friend him on Facebook. He eventually gathered people's names
and sent Todd's video to her new school," including students,
teachers and parents. It didn't really help that after she got out of the hospital
recently some kids started calling her 'psycho' and saying she had been in the crazy
hospital," her mother said. "She went to the hospital, she had therapy, she had
counseling, she was on a good track. On the day she gets out, that happens. I shake
my head and I think, 'Are kids really that nasty, do they really not think, what if it
was them? On October 10, 2012, at about 6:00 PM (PDT), Todd was found dead at
her home.

Media effects
Researchers from the United Kingdom say that too much online
presence of teenagers at night can affect their mental health.
Depression, is the leading cause of non-fatal disability worldwide.
Media exposure could influence the development of depression.
Teens are more sensitive to media influence. With social media
you have constant access to almost everything. People used to
be able to go home to get away from all the bullying, but now
with social media there is cyberbullying. With all the social
media there is always drama. Social media can lead to a ton of
pressure on teens with all the posts about body images, seeing
their friends doing things without them, feeling like they have
nobody. With social media teens can feel the pressure to fit in
and be perfect. With all of the social media rumors and gossip
can get around really quick. With one click of a button something
you type can be seen by everyone. With this kind of power
rumors and gossip can instantly be seen by everyone. With all
the gossip people can create their own new rumors to spread based on the previous ones.
Victims of cyberbullying may feel like everyone is against them and they have no one in the
world. With cyberbullying you cant escape once you leave the school it follows you home. If
you see cyberbullying you should stand up for the victim, so they dont feel alone. If you see
people getting bullied you need to stand up for them. By becoming someone's friends you
could save a life. Depression can result in suicide or self harming, so if you think someone is
depressed you need to help them.
Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by a low
body weight, intense fear of gaining weight. People
with anorexia like to control their weight and shape.
They use extreme tactics to prevent weight gain.
People with anorexia restrict their calorie intake
majorly. Some people purge to control their intake.
Anorexia is also very damaging to your health and
can lead to long term health problems. Thoughts
about about dieting, food, and your body can take up
most of your day. Anorexia is often an attempt to take
control over ones emotions and life. People with anorexia also weigh themselves
often. To control their weight they may use laxatives and exercise constantly. They
also see themselves as fat and overweight, even when they are clearly starved or
malnourished. Anorexic people see food as an
enemy. Studies also say that 1 out of 20 people will
have anorexia in their lifetime. They also tend to be
high achievers and perfectionists. People with
anorexia are also sensitive about being fat. Having
anorexia is difficult for the family and the person
suffering. There are some warning signs or symptoms
of anorexia like:
Self-esteem overly related to body image
Dieting despite being thin
Obsession with calories and food intake
Refusal to eat or restrict their eating
Abnormal weight loss
Sensitivity to the cold
Compulsive exercise
Intense fear of gaining weight
Eating in secret
Laxative or diet pill use
Loss of hair
Thinning of bones
Brittle nails
Dry skin
Seizures
Irregular heartbeat.
People with anorexia also can get treatment with the support of their friends and
family. They need to know that they are not to blame for their anorexia.
Bulimia usually is characterized by periods of
binging followed by purging. People with this
disorder ingest a large amount of food followed
by vomiting. Someone with bulimia may feel
like they are trapped in an addictive relationship
with food. Unlike anorexics, who often work
diligently to hide signs of self-starvation, many
people with bulimia are normal weight or even
slightly overweight. When people binge they
can eat up to hundreds of dollars of food,but
when they do they usually do it in private like in
a car or when home alone. After the binge they often feel disgusted with
themselves, so they feel the need to purge. They vomit or use laxatives to try to
get rid of the excess calories. Some of the symptoms of bulimia are:
Bloating
Fainting
Tingling of the hands and feet
Loss of menstruation
Dehydration
raspy Voice
Using the bathroom after eating
Bulimia is also a disorder that needs treatment like anorexia.
With the media being extremely popular teens feel pressured to
look and feel perfect. The media provides significant content on
body image in young women and men. With all of the fashion
magazines, instagram accounts, and tumblr accounts being so
popular. The exposure to ideal body images are one search
away. Your body image is an important part of self identity and
self esteem. Our body image is defined by representation of the
body like size, height, color, and attractiveness. With all of the
media we can see what the perfect body should be and what it
should not be. When we see the perfect body and see that we
dont look like it. We start to develop a low self esteem and have
less respect for ourselves and our bodies. We get this idea in
our head that for people to like us we have to be perfect. We
also have access to so many things through google. There are
pro anorexia and pro bulimia sites that teach you ways to keep
your disorder a secret and ways to lose the weight and burn
more calories. These sites are a community of people with
disorders that encourage each other to hide their secret and
lose more weight. Also online there are sites where people can anonymously
message you and they can call you names and start rumors. It just takes one
comment to hurt someone. If you call someone fat they could develop a disorder
and if you do it online they may feel embarrassed that everyone can see it. You
should never say rude things online where everyone can see it or even at all. These
things you say dont just disappear people remember these things and dont take
them a joke.

Anxiety is a normal part of people's life, but anxiety disorders involve

more than temporary worry and feel. With an anxiety disorder the fear
of worrying can get worse over time. Anxiety can interfere with daily
activities and school. People with severe anxiety usually have it for over
6 months. There are three main types of anxiety disorders: generalized
anxiety, panic disorder, and social anxiety.
Generalized anxiety is characterized by persistent, excessive,
and unrealistic worry about everyday things. Living with this disorder
can be a lifetime challenge. Daily life becomes a constant state of worry,
fear, and dread. The anxiety eventually dominates the person's thinking
that interferes with daily functioning. People with this disorder also seem
unable to relax or concentrate. GAD can also involve nausea,frequent
trips to the bathroom or feeling like there is a lump in their throat. Most
people can manage GAD with a combination of therapy,medicine, and
lifestyle changes. Some symptoms of GAD are:
Constant worries running through your head
Feeling edgy, restless,or jumpy
Being easily fatigued
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating
Feeling dizzy
Fear of losing control,going crazy,or passing out
Trembling or shaking
Nausea or abnormal distress
Panic disorder is a serious condition that strikes without reason or warning. Panic disorder is
characterized by recurring panic attacks, causing a series of intense episode of extreme anxiety during
panic attacks. With this disorder you may even become preoccupied with having a panic attack.
People stop going to the places where they had panic attacks. It is this avoidance behavior that
becomes the most disabling symptom of panic disorder. In severe panic disorder, the individual's
avoidance behavior may reach the point where they become
housebound and can no longer leave the security of their home because
of their fear of having another panic attack. Symptoms of panic
disorder include:
Shortness of breath or hyperventilation
Heart palpitations or a racing heart
Chest pain or discomfort
Trembling or shaking
 Choking feeling
Feeling unreal or detached from your surroundings
Sweating
Nausea or upset stomach
Feeling dizzy, light-headed, or faint
Numbness or tingling sensations
Hot or cold flashes
Fear of dying, losing control, or going crazy
Social anxiety is when a person has excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. People with
this worry about being embarrassed and making mistakes all the time. The fear may be worse by a
lack of social skills or experience in social situations. People with this
may be afraid of a specific situation, such as speaking in public. They
can also have distorted thinking and have negative opinions of other
people. Some of the symptoms of this disorder include:
Fear of eating or drinking in front of others
Fear of being the center of attention
Fear of talking on the phone
Fear of interacting with other people
Fear of using public toilets
Upset stomach
Confusion
Researchers from the United Kingdoms University of
Glasgow would suggest. According to the recently presented
findings, the pressure to be available 24/7 and the
perceived necessity of responding to posts or texts
immediately can increase anxiety. And despite the fact that
kids these days are more reachable and plugged in than
ever, it comes at a high cost, with scientists finding feelings
of anxiety around missing out.' Social media is
distracting, weve all been there. What starts as a check-in
on Instagram or Twitter quickly leads from one thing to the
other, and all of a sudden 2-3 hours have gone by. This
subsequent overuse of social media, and underuse of real-
world skills has resulted in difficulty for many to socialize
meaningfully, hindering their ability to make connections
and new friends, and ultimately leading to feelings of
loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. A further set of tests measured sleep quality,
self-esteem, anxiety, depression and emotional investment in social media which relates to
the pressure felt to be available 24/7 and the anxiety around, for example, not responding
immediately to texts or posts. A further set of tests measured sleep quality, self-esteem,
anxiety, depression and emotional investment in social media which relates to the pressure
felt to be available 24/7 and the anxiety around, for example, not responding immediately to
texts or posts. Researchers say that you should put some time aside for yourself and not
use your phone for awhile. You should wake up and make a list of all the goals you want to
accomplish that day not involving social media. Research says that you will feel less anxious
and stressed throughout the day then there is no worrying about what is happening without
you.
Christie Swadling was just a teen when she starved herself to a lifeless 70
pounds. She would restrict herself to as little as 200 calories a day to look
like her idol Miranda Kerr. Christie had everything going her way. She was a
great runner in New South Wales. She even competed in regionals for long
distant. Until one day she was taking a slow jog when she collapsed.
Christie's heart rate had dropped to a dangerously low level because of the
starvation. Christie says I was a big fan of Miranda Kerr and I liked the fact
she was very tall and very sli. I loved her stomach. I've always had a
problem with my stomach and hers was just so flat and her ribs look lovely.
Christie's concerns about her body started when she was only nine, but she
didnt start restricting food until she was 12. She was obsessed with losing
weight and was excessively exercising up to 4 hours a day six times a week.
She says she always wanted to be a victoria's secret model. She read the
magazines and look at what he would eat and their diet plans. The models
were her trigger for the anorexia, but eventually she got so ill she stopped
caring about them altogether. All she cared about was losing weight. When
Christie was just 26 she had dropped to the 70 pounds. She knew she had a
problem. One moment h would like her body and the next she would hate it.
She pushed herself so far she almost killed herself with the motivation to
lose weight. She even ended up spending her 17th birthday in the hospital
because she was so weak and disoriented. After her close call with death
she realized she was too focused in her eating disorder that is was holding
her back. She wanted to be focusing on the positive things she had in life.
Christie is now 98 pounds and in
recovery. Sh wants to help people
going through anorexia and let them
no they are not alone. She says
Going through that mind set has
made me the person I am today and
now i'm enjoying my life rather than
hating it.