Jean Carlos, thank you for sharing your opinions on teenage depression. I found your research extremely easy to relate to because myself and many of my friends deal with depression as well. The symptoms you listed impact many lives and it is very important to know when medication is needed. Here is a source for further information https://www.webmd.com/depression/default.htm . Thank you for sharing! -Anna

Jean Carlos,

Thank you for taking the time to tackle such a pressing, yet seldom talked about issue. Even since when I was born I feel that I have seen an increase in depression among many people our age, and its a problem with few answers. Where I am in Utah the depression rate is far higher than the national average and this is actually attributed to the higher elevation and less oxygen in the air, which is interesting. Your ideas on cultural effects such as unrealistic expectations are interesting and something that we can change. Thanks for your input and I hope you expand on your ideas in this article.

Jean Carlos,

I think this is a very important topic with todays youth as I have seen a drastic rise of the number of people who experience depression. It it important to understand the underlying causes of teen depression, even with so many factors. I believe today’s teens experience much more stress in their lives than previous generations, as you pointed out. Especially with the advent of social media and quickly changing times in teenagers lives, depression has been one of the many effects. I would be interested in another post on your thoughts of how this problem can be remedied or even fixed.

Hello Jean Carlos,
I think this is a very important thing to discuss. I often think people avoid talking about these sorts of things because it can hit a personal area or can be too deep for someone to understand fully. I like how you talked about teens and how the modern era is affecting depression and making it worse. Thank you for opening up to such a difficult topic.

What a fascinating question Jean. Its hard for me to chose the single most important person in my life, but what you wrote rings true for me too. My mom is by far the most important person in my life. Somehow she always knows just what to say or do to make me feel better. I really like the quote you used from your mom, “never let anyone put you down when you trying your best”. With advice like this, its easy to see why moms are so important. There’s actually a reason your mom is your favorite person, according to Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/…/top-10-reasons-why-moms-are-important). When you were a baby, odds are when you cried it was for your mother–and she always brought comfort. Throughout life, those feelings imprinted on us as infants are still there.

Dear Jean Carlos:
I am happy with your post, “The Most Important Person In Your Life,” because whoever decides to help you with anything is really important in your life. They want you to succeed in life to make you happy and help you prepare after high school. One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: “There was one time where I had a very bad asthma attack when I was little, I got really scared but my help me the whole time; She help me by keeping me calm and relax when going to the hospital.” I think this is great because I once had an asthma attack when I was little and she kept me calm, and also took me to the hospital. Another sentence that I read was: “To never let anyone put you down when you are trying your best.” This stood out for me because whenever someone put you down, they make you feel like you won’t amount to anything. Thanks for your writing. I look forward to seeing what you write next because you have a great article about certain things and great ideas. I would hopefully want to see how your idea become even bigger than it was before.

Hi, Jean
I’m Violet a senior at Okemos High School. Really enjoyed learning a little bit about you. Living in the Bronx must be exiting or at least to me as I live in a small town. When reading your piece all I wanted to know was more. I wanted more about that experience you had when you where little, especially since not everyone gets to see that problem first hand at such a young age. Also want to know what you do now to try remedy the situation. Do you volunteer at a homeless shelter or try to get your school involved? Can’t wait to what else you write.
Violet