Essay Sample on the Mental Health of Teens and Depression

Introduction

The project aims to address the mental health of teens. In specific, the project aims to address the number of times teens stay at their phones and how this is related with depression, identify how many teens have been affected and also establish the long term and short term effects of this issue. Twenge (2017) highlights that 88% of teenagers around the age 13-16 have access to smartphones and the internet today and 150-300 is the averaged times people look at their phones in a day today. According to Bahrampour (2018) researchers have proved that teenagers who are on their phones for more than 5 hours are at a higher risk of depression (71%) than those who spend around an hour.

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Erika's Lighthouse is selected to describe this project since it addresses depression in adolescents which are in line with our project to address mental health in teens. In addition, Erika's Lighthouse uses teen depression awareness programs as well as resources in fostering dialogue, empowerment, and support for teens. In most cases, talking about depression is uncomfortable for both the students and the teachers. However, Erika's Lighthouse programs decrease the negative attitudes and facilitate conversations on how students may contribute towards a positive mental health culture both in school and in their community (Erika's Lighthouse, 2019). Erika's Lighthouse will, therefore, be effective in addressing the issue of mental health in teenagers and also offer recommendations to solution finding.

Desired Outcome

The projects desired outcomes are: Engaging with adolescents about teenage depression and other mental health issues, creating spaces for conversation about depression moderated by experts who are not associated with the school in order to gain the greatest results and demonstrating the productivity of cell phones by using them as a tool for the classroom programs while also discussing the negative effects of relying too much on cell phones for social interactions.

Target Population

The target population for this project is River Oaks Middle School chosen because it has the highest percentage (94%) of students receiving free or reduced lunch in the Wake County school district.

Proposed Solution

The research project aims to address and call to action intervention for teens experiencing mental illness. Teen's addiction to their phones may lead to depression which in most cases go unnoticed. This project will detail the problem and unleash the statistics which will help address the rising concern. The project will also identify various existing agencies such as Summerland Camp, a rehab center for individuals facing substance use disorder, in this case, phone use. Finally, the project will not only establish mental illness such as depression from phone use but will also make recommendations on how the student's condition will be treated.

References

Bahrampour, T. (2018). Teens who spend less time in front of screens are happier - up to a point, new research shows. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2018/01/22/teens-who-spend-less-time-in-front-of-screens-are-happier-up-to-a-point-new-research-shows/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.fb2a44ded0e2

Erika's Lighthouse. (2019). A Beacon of Hope for Adolescent Depression | Erika's Lighthouse. Retrieved from https://www.erikaslighthouse.org/

Twenge, J. (2017). Teenage depression and suicide are way up - and so is smartphone use. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/teenage-depression-and-suicide-are-way-up--and-so-is-smartphone-use/2017/11/17/624641ea-ca13-11e7-8321-481fd63f174d_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d461d16f9d31