This episode of ‘Blackie, yam-leg and lefty’ shares stories of adults who narrated mental health challenges they encountered as teenagers that affected their overall well-being. Some of those mental health issues include depression, solitude, suicidal thoughts and the likes that could lead to depression.
This episode gives insight to the triggers of mental health issues that often affect the well-being of most teenagers. Some of the triggers highlighted in this episode include unhealthy and unkind comments on people’s physique, parental pressure, unemployment, sadness, social withdrawal and other forms of triggers caused by friends and peers.
One of the stories shared in this episode focused on a mental battle of a woman during her teenage years. The mental battle triggered loss of appetite, poor academic performance suicidal thoughts and sadness because nobody in the family understood the challenges she encountered at that time. One of the ways she dealt with depression was through reading books and writing in a diary. Writing in a diary was an avenue to express her thoughts and emotions she couldn’t share with anyone.
Another story shared in this episode gives insight to the challenges people living with sickle cell anemia encounter from peers and families. The impact of unkind and demeaning comments on other people’s health condition could lead to depression.
One method to avoid these comments as narrated in this episode is through making those hurtful words into a joke. This is a positive method to bounce back at people in order to avoid being termed abusive and rude.
Furthermore, being kind with words when people tease us about our physique keep them from turning away from us.
A teenager in this episode also had his own share of depression which lead to being withdrawn from friends and spent more time alone watching videos and listening to music. He narrated the how he literally struggled to earn a living for himself and his siblings. Ironically, he stated the positive impact of depression having encountered and overcome depression while growing up.
Depression is a mental health issue that a lot of teenagers silently battle within; at school, at home and among peers. In most cases, these teenagers don’t actually understand the triggers of depression and how to speak up for help from parents and guardians.
Some of the causes of depression as narrated in this episode are financial challenges, unemployment, health issues and the likes. Most times, these challenges are usually triggered by unhealthy comments which make the individual feel less of him/herself. Consequently, they either bounce back aggressively or avoid social activities.
