COMPOSITION I ALTEA GJANA

CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY 11/02/2022

FINAL DRAFT

TOPIC: TEEN DEPRESSION

Causes:

1. Peer pressure

2. Academic expectations

3. Body changing

Effects:

1. Emotional change

2. Behavioural change

The very first time Ellison Sani cut herself, she was in ninth grade. It was precisely 3

a.m. and as her parents and siblings slept, she sat on the edge of the bathtub at her home with

a knife in her hand.1 Then she cut her wrists. There was blood... and a feeling of profound

ease. “It makes the world terribly quiet for some seconds,” says Ellison. “For a while I didn’t

wish to stop, as a result of the fact that it was my only coping mechanism. I hadn’t learned

any other way”. On paper, she had a perfect life. For Ellison, cutting was a secret, irresistible

display of the depression that she and millions of teenagers in the world are battling against.

The majority of us have noticed sadness in adolescents. We tend to believe their gloominess

owns to hormones’ lack of balance, unpredictability, or teenage revolt. But teen depression is

a life-threatening concern. Teen depression is a serious mental health problem that comes as a

1
ATTENTION-GETTER : NARRATIVE (Ellison Sani the example of a teenager who suffers from depression)
result of peer pressure, academic expectations and changing bodies; consequently, it brings

up emotional and behavioural changes.2

Relating to researches, the main reason of teen depression is the negative peer pressure.3

(raisingchildren.net.au, 2021) It happens when you are obligated to do anything that is wrong.

That’s the first step that you start breaking down and suffer from depression. A subtle

example: comments that can be made by classmates. It can catch your attention that a group

of students try to attack or mock different personal subjects, such as outfits, hairstyles or even

body matters. These observations are made so that the audience can hear them, trying to get a

laughter or point out their “flaws” as a person. The most difficult type to resist from is the

one that makes you behave in certain ways. Behaviours that include nearly inconsiderable

matters in question, like chatting with your mobile phone when you should be sleeping; to

more ultimate behaviours, such as skipping classes and sneaking out at night. It can also

make teens do entirely illegal acts with very significant consequences, such as theft or

physical attacks. (Cambridge University Press, 2006) When you don’t “obey” to all this

indicated orders, you will be treated as an outcast, be ignored or even left alone.

In the meantime, evidence demonstrate the depression brought by school pressures and

technology is affecting younger and younger kids.4 (PMC Library of Medicine National

Institutes of Health, 2019) Academic pressure also plays a role, especially with stress. Ellison

got counselling for her depression, which became sever as the college-application process

stepped up. Getting an answer wrong or not being qualified in a particular class became the

main sources of fear. Researchers have suggested that depressed moods are negatively related

to academic achievement. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2009) A large number of

depressed individuals may be doing one’s utmost to accomplish their goals considering that

2
THESIS STATEMENT – RED COLOR
3
FIRST CAUSE – GREEN COLOR
4
SECOND CAUSE – GREEN COLOR
they aren’t strong enough. They might sense that they are not getting as far the standard set

for them. As a result, they constantly feel disappointed and despairing. They start considering

themselves failures and thinking negatively. This problem can for sure contribute to a good

deal of serious problems in their academic life such as poor grades. These days, most

adolescents are very worried about the possibilities of finding a job in the future. (American

Academy of Pediatrics, 2009) Some of them believe that education is not useful, because

plenty of graduated people are not getting employed. In addition, with so much things going

on, there is no time left to participate in any type of social activities. This lack of “Down-

Time” is a big deal and a big cause of depression.

As Ellison describes it, "A lot of value is put on our physical beauty now. All of our

friends are Photoshopping their own photos--it's hard to escape that need to be perfect."5

That’s how step by step, this giant concern of how your body is perceived, ends up to

everyone’s biggest enemy: depression.6 Adolescence is known to be the central phase in the

creation of positive or negative body image. Many influences manage to exist throughout the

teen years including puberty that affect one’s body shape, weight status, and appearance.

Principal impacts on body image involve the media, which can attack teens, and fellows who

help structure beliefs about the perceived body ideal. The notions of fat talk and weight-

related bullying during adolescence seriously play a part in the overemphasis on body weight

and appearance as well as the development of negative body perceptions and lack of

satisfaction surrounding specific body parts. (CNN Health, 2020) Concerning family,

research show that weight-based teasing from parents and siblings is connected to body

dissatisfaction among girls and drive for muscularity among boys in eighth and ninth grade.

Even though there are a lot of causes that lead to depression, the hardest part is to deal

with its results and effects. Firstly, by knowing that there are two types of change in one’s
5
The words of Ellison, the girl from the main story taken for example in the introduction
6
THIRD CAUSE – GREEN COLOR
personality: emotional change and behavioural change.7 Then, you are able to get more

information on what one can do to treat depression.8

Symptoms such as irregular sleeping habits or eating too much or too little, mark the

difference between the “ups and downs” or moodiness of teens and depression. The main

distinction is that they last for a long time and are associated with impairment. Taking for

example the presence a persistent low or sad mood, a sense of hopelessness or difficulty

articulating anything they look forward to about the future, or not showing enthusiasm for a

family trip, for a chance to see a friend again, for a new season of a favourite show. Other

signs you may notice are difficulty with concentration, less motivation and feelings of

worthlessness, guilt and possibly suicide. A teenager must have at least 2 weeks of pervasive

change in mood manifested by either depressed or irritable mood and/or loss of interest and

pleasure. (Science Direct, 2011)

“Depression is associated with functional impairment,” Ellison says. “They’re not doing

as well in school. They’re withdrawing from their friends. They’re fighting more with their

parents. That doesn’t mean that everybody who has those problems is depressed. But if you

have somebody with a mood problem and you see a change in their function, those are the

people you suspect have a difficulty with clinical depression.”9 If you see your child

withdrawing from activities they enjoy – even those around the house – pay attention. If you

see your child persistently struggling with daily living activities that used to be somewhat

easy, keep a close eye on sleep and hygiene. Depressed children and teens tend to sleep much

more or even much less than their peers with a sense of being tired and lethargic. (Science

Direct, 2011) If you notice behavioural outbursts that happen more often and seem to grow

7
EFFECTS – BABY BLUE COLOR
8
TRANSITION PARAGRAPH
9
Words from Ellison, the girl from the main story taken for example in the introduction
more intense, your child or teen may be showing the irritability and anger that is common in

depression in children and teens.

Considering the case of Ellison’s family, they got counselling after that. Her parents

learned that they weren't alone. Recovery didn't happen all at once. There were relapses,

sometimes over tiny things. But the Sanis were on the right road. Ellison still struggles at

times with depression. "It's a condition that's not going to totally disappear from my life," she

says, "It's just learning how to deal in a healthy way--not self-harming, not lashing out at

people."10 To conclude, the thing to do to prevent depression is taking control of stress and

reaching out to people in time of need. If you may think you are suffering from depression,

take it seriously, go to therapy and get the proper treatment.11

10
LINKING BACK TO THE THESIS BY THE CHARACTER OF THE NARRATIVE IN THE INTRODUCTION (Ellison regives
the thesis statement)
11
CLINCHER – RECOMANDATIONS – YELLOW COLOR