Proposal +5

Source 1: High School Depression and Suicide Prevention Program

https://shapeamerica.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/19325037.2002.10604730?needAccess=true

Background: This source talks about a mental health course that was implemented in high school with the goal of raising awareness of teenage depression and provide resource information for those who are feeling depressed or suicidal. After the study, results have shown that not only students who are struggling have found help, but even those who don’t have depression have been able to pick up on signs from their peers who may be silently struggling, and have helped them.

How I intend to use it: I will use this source as evidence to strengthen my argument that raising awareness about mental illnesses and providing healthy coping methods could help, whether coping methods include seeing professional help or other ways of coping, which I will further continue my research.

Source 2: Mental Health Programs in schools

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12310-010-9038-1

Background: This source explains a school-based intervention to reduce depression and PTSD for young children who have been exposed to traumatic events. The study explores factors that influence the implementation of a specific evidence-based practice in schools, more specifically, the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS). This study demonstrates that these evidence-based practice do help students with dealing with depression and trauma, but only more likely when previously exposed to these practices.

How I intend to use it: This source stresses the importance of dealing with depression and trauma; although trauma itself isn’t mentioned in my hypothesis, it could definitely be related to my research. I plan to use the information found to either support the idea that addressing mental health could benefit students or not, or maybe that this study specifically could or could not work for the outcome of my research.

Source 3: Addressing Students’ Social and Emotional Needshttps://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=737dd111-bb98-4e11-8a1a-7f7ea20603d9%40sessionmgr4008

Background: This source talks about schools that have recognized the importance for mental health and personal needs for students; not just teaching material but also providing strategies for effectively dealing with highly stressful situations. Multiple studies have been conducted and the results have shown positive outcomes for managing stress for the students.

How I intend to use it: The studies could present useful information for determining the effectiveness for these mental health efforts. The results have shown that addressing mental health yields positive results, but I will analyze this source for how effective it really is.

Source 4: Evolving Roles for School Nurses

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1942602X09353915

Background: This source argues that aside from teaching academic sources, which is required by the NCLB, that mental health services are equally important for the student body. This article also addresses issues for districts without these services, such as the budget not being able to cover the cost of hiring professionals. However, with the students in luck, solutions are available. This source dives into the importance of mental health of students as they grow.

How I intend to use it: This source seems to support my hypothesis with the explanation of how important mental health is for students. I believe that this source could strengthen my argument that making mental health aware in school and providing help could greatly benefit the students.

Source 5: Mental Health and System Restructuring

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735898000713

Background: This source talks about mental health awareness in a different light in terms of schools. The source explains that a school’s mandate is to educate; they are not in the health business. This may be somewhat of an explanation for why not every school has a program or effective way for mental care. This article continues to explain that too few schools have enough mental care resources for all the students. This can be understandable to an extent: for a large student body, resources need to increase in quantity while not decreasing in quality.

How I intend to use it: This source made me look at mental health awareness in schools in another way. A school’s goal is to educate students and to help them realize their dreams in terms of a profession. It is not to provide mental care, that is why professional therapy exists. However, after addressing the mandate of school and the benefits of bringing mental care into school through studies and experiments, I intend to question the idea of mental care into an educational course; not only in a way of recognizing that our emotional well being matters but also to educate on what to do if one’s emotional state is not as it should be.

Bibliography:

Source 1: High School Depression and Suicide Prevention Program

Moilanen, D., & Bradbury, S. (2002). A High School Depression and Suicide Prevention Program. American Journal of Health Education, 33(3), 148–153.

Background: This source talks about a mental health course that was implemented in high school with the goal of raising awareness of teenage depression and provide resource information for those who are feeling depressed or suicidal. After the study, results have shown that not only students who are struggling have found help, but even those who don’t have depression have been able to pick up on signs from their peers who may be silently struggling, and have helped them.

How I Used It: I used this source to support my hypothesis that implementing a program with a mandatory course and professional help nearby is beneficial to students with an unexpected finding: that students may also contribute to detecting warning signals of depression, not just authority figures. This “broadens the horizon” in terms of helping detect warning signals.

Source 2: Depression Symptoms and Warning Signs

“Depression Symptoms and Warning Signs.” HelpGuide.org, 15 Apr. 2020.

Background: Provides a list of warning signs of depression. This list provided was intended for self-analysis; yet behavior, moods and expressions can be observed by others. The author states that anger and agitation are noticeable symptoms of depression, not sadness. This may be inaccurate to a degree, yet it provides valuable information.

How I Used It: I used this article to partially outline what it means when searching for a warning signal. This source provided evidence that anger and agitation are common symptoms of depression in teenagers, which is a symptom many wouldn’t expect, rather, they would expect to see sadness. Referring to sources that define warning signs is essential to not misjudge one’s behavior for a sign of depression.

Source 3: Teens & Depression: Recognizing Red Flags

Teens & Depression: Recognizing Red Flags. (1999). National Women’s Health Report, 21(2), 5.

Background: This source provides another list of warning signs of depression. This includes more than a list; it emphasizes the need to be prepared to detect warning signs, such as an example of approaching one’s child who may be struggling.

How I Used It: The article mentioned a warning signal that was mentioned in “Depression Symptoms and Warning Signs”: loss in interest in daily activities. However, this article went into more detail, saying how parents should be on the lookout for their child limiting their activities or performance. This strengthens my argument because it gives a realistic image of what a “loss of interest in daily activities” may look like.

Source 4: Why Don’t We Treat Mental Illness like We Do Physical Illness?

Team, Choices Psychotherapy. “Why Don’t We Treat Mental Illness like We Do Physical Illness?” Choices Psychotherapy, 19 Nov. 2019.

Background: This article talks about a negative stigma associated with depression: people with this mental illness are viewed as lazy and lacking willpower; it discourages people from acknowledging the possibility that they may have depression. This denial could lead to a much worse mental condition. However, the source mentions that despite the negative stigma, mental health should be taken care of with similar protocols and care as physical health.

How I Used It: I used this article in my Definition and Rebuttal Argument, as the source contributed to the discussion of both arguments. I emphasized the author’s description of the negative stigma and proposed that educating people on how to detect warning signs as well as how to respond to them will cause the negative stigma to disappear. I used this again in my Rebuttal argument, as the author mentioned that to another person, a depressed person can look normal. However, the purpose of teaching the detection of warning signs is to differentiate people who “look normal” to those who may actually be normal. In other words, teaching what a warning signal looks like may change how “normal” a person may look.

Source 5: Genetics and Genomics of Depression

Hamet, P., & Tremblay, J. (2005). Genetics and genomics of depression. Metabolism, 54(5), 10–15.

Background: This article brings to light a risk factor that has not been considered in this research yet. Although environmental factors may cause depression, scientists found a link between depression and genetics. This doesn’t refute the hypothesis, instead the hypothesis is challenged. Perhaps depression can’t be a fully preventable illness, but “lowering the rate of depression” is pretty much preventing it in those who would have had the illness.

How I Used It: As mentioned above, this doesn’t necessarily refute my hypothesis. It makes it a harder challenge to overcome, which further emphasizes the need to recognize and respond to warning signs as soon as possible. This is used in my Rebuttal Argument, supporting the claim that supports my hypothesis through the counterpoint- that approaching students who show warning signs of depression can be seen as invasion of privacy.

Source 6: MindMatters, a Whole-School Approach Promoting Mental Health and Well Being

Wyn, J., Cahill, H., Holdsworth, R., Rowling, L., & Carson, S. (2000). MindMatters, a Whole-School Approach Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 34(4), 594–601. doi: 10.1080/j.1440-1614.2000.00748.x

Background: Similarly to a few other sources in this list, this source mentions that before applications to detecting warning signs, students must feel that they are in a safe and trusted community. The authors point out that the school environment must be positive in order to maximize the chances of an effective effort to reduce symptoms of depression.

How I Used It: I used this source to support my rebuttal argument that creating a welcoming school environment is essential for preventing depression. As an ethical issue counters my hypothesis(approaching students may be invasion of privacy), a positive school community will replace the intrusive behavior with a caring and concerned behavior.

Source 7: Teachers as Builders of Respectful School Climates

LaRusso, M., Romer, D., & Selman, R. (2008). Teachers as Builders of Respectful School Climates: Implications for Adolescent Drug Use Norms and Depressive Symptoms in High School. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37(4), 386–398.

Background: This source is similar to the previous source, saying that not only building a positive environment, but also to build a level of respect and trust between the student and teacher. This would further reinforce the tendency to rely on authority figures and avoid the ethical controversy. Ultimately, a respectful relationship in a community is the foundation of helping someone who is struggling with depresion.

How I Used It: I used this in my causal argument. I used this source to set up my argument that approaching students who show warning signs is more beneficial than waiting for them to seek help. The respectful relationship is a stepping stone that I needed to confront and mention before jumping into the details of what approaching students really means.

Source 8: Teen Depression and Suicide: Effective Prevention and Intervention Strategies

King, K., & Vidourek, R. (2012). Teen Depression and Suicide: Effective Prevention and Intervention Strategies. Prevention Researcher, 19(4), 15–17.

Background: This source talks about the role of peers in society in terms of catching warning signs of depression. The source states that parents, coaches, teachers and even youth can detect warning signs and intervene appropriately if proper measures are taken. This source suggests that youth may help with this cause; maybe it is not just the role of authority figures. Source number 1 strengthens this point.

How I Used It: I used this source to outline those who should be on the lookout for warning signs in my causal argument. This source also suggests that authority figures and peers being able to detect warning signs will create a more mature and welcoming environment in school, this lowering the rate of depression.

Source 9: Warning Signs for Suicide: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications

Rudd, M., Berman, A., Joiner, T., Nock, M., Silverman, M., Mandrusiak, M., … Witte, T. (2006). Warning Signs for Suicide: Theory, Research, and Clinical Applications. Suicide and Life‐Threatening Behavior, 36(3), 255–262.

Background: This source briefly mentions that there is a clear noticeable difference in responses to physical illness and injury and mental illness. This source continued to explain the differences between risk factors and warning signs of depression.

How I Used It: I didn’t quote this source in my research paper, yet it provided insight on risk factors, such as genetics, environment, home situation, etc. I believe this source repeated a point I already had sources to support: that mental health and physical health should be treated with similar protocol.

Source 10: Warning Signs and Symptoms

Warning Signs and Symptoms. (n.d.).

Background: This source simply lists warning signs of depression. It’s goal is for viewers to analyze their own mental state, and the site provides resources such as phone numbers links to contact professional help.

How I Used It: This was the first source I found regarding warning signs of depression; I used this as a “lead” or a guideline as for what the warning signs were to find a source that could be more than a “checklist.”

Source 11: Ecology of Youth Depression

Kim, K. (2012). The Ecology of Youth Depression. Prevention Researcher, 19(4), 3–7.

Background: This source reviews multiple layers of the issue with lowering the rate of depression. The author of this source concludes that depression has multiple warning signs, predictors and consequences that may occur multiple times for an adolescent. For the future generation, it is essential for their mental health to be nurtured and healthy to perform and live their life at highest quality.

How I Used It: This source provided insight on how severe warning signs can be if they are ignored. Although I didn’t use quotes from this source, it helped me gather arguments and strengthen my research.

Source 12: Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents

Shain, B., Braverman, P., Adelman, W., Alderman, E., Breuner, C., Levine, D., … O’Brien, R. (2016). Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents. Pediatrics, 138(1), e20161420–e20161420.

Background: This source observes the statistics of teen suicide, which is heavily correlated(and in many cases, caused by) depression. This source sets the target age group in my research: depression in students who are 15-19 years old. This time in age is essential- it is the time of transition between children and adults. Preventing mental illness in this stage of life determines the performance of students in school, altering their personal relationships and career choices.

How I Used it: This source led me to the conclusion that detecting warning signs and responding to them in teenagers(approximately those in the first two years of high school) will lead to a healthy mental state in adult life, as well as access to professional help for those who are struggling with depression.