Personal Narrative: A Change In American Society

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While there are many flaws in American society that I am passionate about changing, I feel one of the strongest issues running rampant in our country and the world is the vast trivialization of mental illness. Unfortunately, I have personal experience with the tragedies that can occur when teenagers suffering from depression or anxiety make the decision to end their own life. On October 9th, 2015, a friend and fellow band member named Stephan Cotarelo went home from school and ended his life. To many who knew him, including me, this was shocking because he seemed like one of the happiest people on earth. He was never bullied, and had many close friends who loved him. While I know it isn’t healthy to dwell on what could have been, I and many others can’t help but wonder what we could have done differently to prevent these events. Through my education in Psychology at Appalachian State, I hope to reach a new level of understanding on why some make this devastating decision and how I can contribute to the change in society that is necessary to …show more content…
These issues are often written off as cries for attention, or simple teenage drama; the phrase “depressed” has become widely overused by young people in our society, caused by a wide lack of understanding of this illness. However common the terminology is used, the problem frequently stretches beyond teenage angst and into adulthood. A study conducted by Associated Press and mtvU found that 80 percent of college students reported feelings of stress daily, 34 percent reported feeling depressed in recent months, and 13 percent had been officially diagnosed with anxiety or depression. I feel these numbers could be greatly reduced if teenage anxiety and depression were taken more seriously in our

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