It’s Not Just A Phase

By: Kiara Balleza

Talk about being a teen right? Students here at Phoenix Military Academy are hardworking, disciplined, and very depressed. Wait, what? Yes, trying to maintain a high GPA, friends, and tryout in Baseball, Debate, or Volleyball; students here are all ready to breakdown if one thing goes wrong.  

“The best thing to do is listen. There’s a huge difference with just listening, and they just really want someone to value what they’re saying. You must make them feel heard and be taken seriously. Value, Appreciate, and be available,” said PMA counselor Mr. Gaetjens.  

Even if any cadet from this school looked perfectly fine, no one really knows whether they are well, or if something is really going on. They could be dying inside, but why would a student hold in so much? What stops  them from speaking up, and telling someone “I need help?”

“ Some parents wouldn’t know how to handle the situation properly. It really takes a lot of guts to speak up because you feel as if you’re going to be shamed for being so vulnerable. Sometimes we believe it’s only a small minor thing that we can get over , since we are always told that it was just a phase,  but then,  we find ourselves lying down on the ground with a bottle of pills lying next to us,” said junior Marilyn Ramirez.

Statistics prove that at least eighty percent of kids ages eight and older are prone to have at least one episode of depression and/or stress. From that percentage, twenty-four percent have actually committed or attempted suicide. How can this possibly still be a teen thing when kids as young as eight are putting a gun to their head?

“ If anyone ever felt alone, especially the ones I really care about, I would always stick with them, and try to make them think positive. I will try to make sure that they aren’t the only ones who are going through this,” said sophomore Gilberto Ortiz.

As a wise man once said, “ In order to ask for help, you must admit to yourself that something is wrong. Taking that first step is difficult, because you feel so vulnerable, but we are never going to solve a mental issue just as we can with a math problem. There are people who can help. You are not alone.”