Starts With You

Our Story

Looking at our lives, I am always grateful for all the beautiful things I have experienced: my family, my friends, my hobbies, and my interests. But I know that many people my age are not able to experience these things with the same joy and vigor as depression. The current culture and society are promoting a lifestyle that is harmful to mental health. Today, people are using more social media, sleeping less, managing stress poorly, and facing increased bullying. With depression affecting 1 in 5 teenagers, it is certainly not the same issue. Therefore, we decided to have our Civic Action Project address this mental health epidemic so that every teenager can fully enjoy this transformative time in their lives.
During our research and interviews with experts, they all agreed that depression in teenagers has been on the rise. According to the National Library of Medicine, depression in teenagers has increased from “8.1% in 2009 to 15.8% in 2019, a relatively larger increase than reported in a previous examination in the NSDUH from 2005 to 2014.” While increased awareness and reporting have played a factor in the increased number of teenagers being diagnosed with depression, certain behaviors have been contributing to the increased number of diagnoses. The decay of traditional skills and routines, replaced with more unhealthy behaviors, is a significant factor. We will start a campaign that advocates healthy lifestyle practices that reduce the risk of depression. Our campaign will educate teens and their families about the negative impacts of excessive social media use and the importance of physical activity, sufficient sleep, effective stress management, and maintaining healthy routines. We will start by creating and posting a website educating adolescents of the facts about the harms caused by certain unhealthy lifestyle choices. By promoting these positive changes, we aim to create an environment where teenagers can thrive and enjoy their adolescence to the fullest.
Join us to stop preventable depression.