The Facades in Everybody

Of all the issues that teenagers face today, one of the more discreet problems comes from the intangible idea of depression. We may walk around school and spot the creepy student with the harsh makeup, greasy hair and draping clothes and assume they are a disturbed, possibly suicidal teenager just surviving the day-to-day realities of high-school and adolescence. However, what we fail to do more often than not, is approach this person, give them a chance, or give ourselves a chance to change our stereotypical ideals. Sometimes, those suffering the most aren’t outwardly displaying their inner conflicts, but instead waging a constant war within their own selves and keeping it private. The popular person at school who is always at every party, constantly surrounded by hordes of people, can be the loneliest person in the room. They may go home every day, conflicted on the inside, but log on to the various chat websites and post a false, happy status update. We’re not all able to express our feelings, because sometimes the fear of rejection or judgement is overwhelming.

When I lived in Alaska, I encountered a lot of people who were both outwardly and inwardly depressed. My friend Sarah was always the center of attention, but she would complain about how much she felt relied on to be the comedian, the entertainment in a group of expectant people. We all stereotype others, whether we do it subconsciously or with a full realization of what we are doing. My friend has a strict as hell grandpa who dresses in hawaiin shirts and talks about his days spent smoking marijuana. But because we look at his coffee stained jeans and overgrown garden, we assume he is laid back and not easily fazed. We assume those wearing Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch brands are preppy and upbeat; usually, this stereotype is true. However, the clothes on someone’s back does not translate into a happy home life, a worry free feeling towards college, a full wallet.

Teens may push aside feeling of depression because there is no physical sign of this disease: it just is. And without proof, who wants to believe they have a psychological problem? I believe that happiness is essential to a stable environment, and teenagers, whether they feel insuperior because of clothes, grades, friends, sports, or family matters, need to learn to accept their flaws and realize their problems are indivisual but they are not alone in facing them.