Across the world divorce, financial despair, high education expectations, peer pressure, and bullying are just a few of the factors that are causing teenagers to experience depression, a mental disorder which can make schooling, home and social life, as well as keeping up with overall health some of the most difficult yet common (and important) tasks to perform.

Everyday thousands of teenagers mutilate their bodies and/or commit suicide in order to find a source of relief from the pain, stress, and frustration of what appears to be a normal life to those surrounding them.

Jacob Clark (name changed),16, lost both his parents in a wreck caused by a drunk driver in 2008. He was ordered by the court to reside with his grandmother who needed professional care but was unable to afford a hospice nurse so she relied on Jacob; she would die 9 months later. While living with his grandmother, Jacob experienced frequent bullying from several members of his high school's baseball team due to his obesity. Jacob was placed with a woman and man in the same locality and after two months the woman noticed marks across his arms and claimed Jacob said it was from the neighborhood's stray cats which he played with while waiting for his school bus in the mornings. She also noticed he stopped talking to his best friends but assumed they had just grown apart as they grew older. 5 months after being placed in a foster home Jacob killed himself by wrapping an extension cord around his neck and a ceiling raft.

Depression is rising amongst all age groups mostly, but young adults especially feel the pressure to be perfect in the eyes of family and friends by means of maturity and intelligence which most young adults should be in the process of learning - in Lamen's terms these kids shouldn't feel like their adolescence/young adulthood needs to be focused. Nations across the world are continuing to put more pressure on standards of education, maintaining financial stability in unstable economies, and the media only adds to the stress by projecting unrealistic images of body and mental perfection.



I want everyone who has ever experienced emotional pain to reach out and show support to young adults and children who even vaguely seemed depressed because it is our duty as human beings to support each other and also let others become aware of this issue because it is being so crucial.

A simple hug, a kind gesture, ANY helping hand gives these kids a chance to know someone cares and wants to be there for them for support and advice on dealing with critical events during childhood and young adulthood.

Would you want someone to walk past you if they noticed you were bleeding out? Well right now many children are emotionally "bleeding out" and it's up to everyone around them to put forth the effort to encourage them to want to live and strive for a happy future.

Money cannot buy happiness, but expressions of love and support can save a life.