Speech

Theme: Mental Health Illness

Topic: The signs of depression among students

Good day, my name is Jenique Dinnall and I’m here to share my research, but let’s forget

about that for a moment. I’m sure that you guys are not mentally ok at the moment since you

guys have been dealing with oral presentations from morning. As you can guess my theme is

“Mental Illness”. Mental Illnesses are disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior.

Considering the fact that there have been a drastic incline in the numbers of individuals with

Mental illnesses, especially students, thus my reason for choosing this theme. There are many

types of mental health illnesses but today, we will be focusing on depression. Depression is a

serious mood disorder that affects our mental ability. Since I have notice the significant

amount of students struggling with depression without them even knowing, I chose the topic

“The signs of depression among students”. As a therapist in the making, I would like to

inform individuals on the signs of depression so they can seek help for themselves. While

investigating, I found what are the signs of depression among students and how to inform

others on the signs of depression.

Students not knowing the signs of depression is an issue, since left untreated it could in fact

get worst. For example it could affect their academic performance or even go as far as self-

harm. I have decided to gather insights on this problem by using questionnaires. These

questionnaires were distributed via whatsapp using Google forms. A total of 15 students

answered this questionnaire, comprising of 8 females and 7 males representing 53% and 47%

respectively. 6o% age ranging from 17-19 and 40% ranging from 14-16. The question was

then asked, what is depression? Since this was an open ended question the responses where
along the lines of depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and

loss of interest.

-Are you depressed? 73% of responders responded yes, while 27% responded no

-How does this affect your academic performance?

Some responses were it affects their academic performance very badly and that they lose the

motivation to study or lose interest in the middle of lesson.

-What is the cause of depression?

60% of responders chose the option traumatic event, 33% academic stress and 7% chose

hatred for one’s self.

-Do you know the signs of depression?

73% of respondents chose yes, while 27% chose no

-If yes, state some signs of depression?

Responses from this question are lack of sleep, moodiness and lack of concentration

-What can the Ministry of Health do to inform individuals of the causes of depression?

Responder’s responses were to Host seminars

Otherwise from this questionnaire I have also collected data through articles. Article 1

entitled “What is Depression” written by Martha Jones (November 1, 2022). In this article

she stated that depression is a mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness,

emptiness, and loss of joy. She then went on to say that if students aren’t aware of the signs

of depression it may lead to suicide if left untreated, but is preventable when appropriate

support is provided and that Depression can feel different for different children. It was

mentioned that the signs of depression are;

  Persistent sadness

 Loss of interest in friends and activities (that they normally enjoy)

 suicidal thoughts

Article 2 entitled “Recognizing the Hidden Signs of Depression” written by Jayne Leonard

(June 30, 2022). In this article she stated that some people with depression may try to hide the

signs from others, and others might not even realize that they have depression. Although

well-known symptoms such as sadness or hopelessness can be easy to recognize, other

symptoms may be less obvious. However, it is important to note that other medical issues can

also cause some of the same signs. She then listed that the signs of depression are;

 Loss of concentration

 Forced happiness

 Alcohol or drug use

In evaluating the pieces of evidence, the articles found where proven to be reliable and valid.

The first article is reliable as it was written by Martha Jones who is a therapist that has dealt

with depressed patients. The second article is also reliable since it was written by Jayne

Leonard, who is a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist. Both articles are valid since it is

an ongoing issue in today’s society and is up-to-date. While investigating I stumbled upon

challenges such as not finding articles that was related to my topic and articles that were not

up-to-date. In conclusion, the pieces of evidence played an important role in this research as

it provided adequate information about the signs of depression among students. The signs of

depression are persistent sadness, loss of concentration, suicidal thoughts etc. Ways to inform

individuals on the signs of depression are hosting seminars. I recommend that the ministry of

Health to host seminars and campaigns to raise awareness about depression so that students
individuals can be informed on the signs of depression. Thanks to this research I have learned

a lot about the signs of depression and would like to gain more knowledge. And remember

you’re not alone, you’re not the first to go through it, and you won’t be the last.