Guidance for Grown-Ups
November 2007
Breaking Down the Blues

This Discussion Guide contains the following Activity Sections:

1. The Answers to Your Questions



2. Problem Solving: Exploring Options, Giving Advice



3. Make a Historical and Global Connection: Changing Options

I. The Answers to Your Questions

The purpose of this activity is to help teens understand the difference between feeling down and being depressed.

1. Ask the teens to read “ Breaking Down the Truth Behind Depression,” the introduction by the Teen Voices feature editors. Ask them to identify some of the key differences between temporarily feeling down and being depressed.
   
   
2. To provide additional information, ask the teens to review “ Feeling Depressed? Don’t Stress!” and “ Did You Know?”
   
   
3. Explain to the teens that depression is a complex illness. Some teens may experience depression in the form of bi-polar disorder, in which a person feels extremes, or emotional highs and lows. Ask the teens to read “Living with Bipolar Depression” by Melissa Saunders to better understand this form of depression.
   
   
4. To reflect on what they’ve learned, ask the teens to make wallet cards listing five warning signs for depression. They can use the back of old business cards or cut out card stock for the project. If they don’t carry a wallet, they can tape it inside their locker or a notebook.

Resources

• Symptoms and related information - www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/feeling_sad/depression.html

II. Problem Solving: Exploring Options, Giving Advice

The purpose of this activity is to help teens think though different options for help if they or someone they know is depressed or suicidal.

1. Asking for help isn’t easy, especially when it comes to mental health issues. Teens may be comforted to know that others have experienced depression and are living happily now. Ask the teens to read “ Lights, Camera, Depression . . .”
   They can also find additional stories by clicking on links here - http://depression.about.com/od/famous/Famous_People_With_Depression.htm.
   
   
2. Ask the teens to brainstorm, as a group, about where they could turn for help if they knew someone who was depressed. Ask one teen to keep track of the suggestions on list in front of the group.
   
   
3. How to Deal With How You Feel ” may have additional suggestions. Ask the teens to read that article and add new ideas to their group list. Give them time, if they so choose, to create another wallet card (or use the reverse of the symptoms card) to make a list of what to do if someone you care about is depressed.

III. Make a Historical and Global Connection: Changing Options

The purpose of this activity is to encourage teens to become active in the larger community that supports teen mental health.

1. One of the biggest ways teens can support other teens’ mental health is by listening. Ask the teens to read “ No One to Talk To.” Ashley suggests starting a discussion group at school, run by teens, not adults, “to talk about the problems you are having at home, things you have opinions about in politics, etc.” Next, ask the teens to make a list of the top ten topics they would cover if they started such a group at school.
   
   
2. Freddie Tunnard is an 18-year-old volunteer for a suicide prevention hotline. Ask the teens to read the story about her, “ The Voice at the End of the Line.” Next ask the teens to write down at least one question they would like to ask Freddie. Do they have the courage to call the hotline and ask their question? Why or why not? Ask the teens to reflect on why it takes so much courage to reach out for help, even if it’s only a practice phone call.
   
   
3. Ask the teens to write a letter of congratulations to someone (even a stranger) who has sought help for depression. If they are feeling inspired, maybe they could try to write a poem and include the poem in the letter.
   
   
4. The introduction (that the teens read earlier) says that lack of health insurance may prevent teens from accessing much-needed help from a psychotherapist or psychiatrist. Ask the teens to research free or subsidized health care for young people online. How easy would it be to visit a psychiatrist for free in their hometown? Ask the teens to discuss the issue of health care coverage and to talk about how they could get involved with organizations (like Freddie Tunnard’s involvement with Samariteens) to improve the mental health of their peers.
   
   
5. For a more involved activity, ask the teens to draft a letter to the editor or an opinion article for their local or high school newspaper about a topic related to supporting teens t hrough depression. Ask them to include statistics, especially ones for their local community if possible. Make sure another teen proof reads the article before sending it off!

Resources

• Information on health care coverage for child mental health (MA-specific) - http://www.hcfama.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=
  708&grandparentID=531&parentID=534
• How to write a letter to the editor -
  http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/toolkit_resources/
  tipsheets/writing_letter_editor.cfm
• How to write an op-ed -
  http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/special_initiatives/toolkit_resources/
  tipsheets/writing_op_ed.cfm

Have you used Guidance for Grown-ups with your class or teen group? Tell us which ones you used and what kind of success you had with it. Did you put your own spin on it? Let us know.