Teens suffer from depression and don’t get treatment, however there are forms of treatment that don’t cost much and have easy access, for example, music therapy. “4,600 teens don’t receive treatment after being diagnosed with depression.”(Admin. (2018, September 24). Why Today's Teens Are More Depressed Than Ever. Retrieved March/April, 2019, from https://centerfordiscovery.com/blog/todays-teens-depressed-ever)
Finding my love and passion for music and helping those who need it
Since I was young, I was surrounded by music all over. I had a family that had many artist in it. I would listen to my siblings perform for me or actually perform in front of an audience. I grew found to music and the idea of making my own. My daily routine would include at least one performance from my siblings.
However, music began to seem dull to me, unamusing even but I still wanted to love music, yet I lost my passion for it. My daily routine was the same but I threw music out. I lost interest in music at the age of 11. My siblings were disappointed in me because I lost the mood and I wouldn’t let them sing or play for me because I didn’t see the purpose.
That all changed when I witnessed an amazing encounter with music. What changed my point of view was my little cousin she has speech impediment since she was a little girl. When I spent the night at her house, my aunt told me they had a session for Jess in the morning, so I had to wake up early which I didn’t mind. We headed out to Jess’s session, when we got there I was surprised because all I saw was instruments and microphones. I asked my aunt where are we and she told me, “We’re at Jess’s music therapy session.” When the session began, I was so overwhelmed with joy because I finally saw Jess express herself in a way she loves and that is when I found my love, passion, and the purpose of music once again.
The Problem
Music therapy is an immense form of treatment that is not communicated to teens that suffer from depression or any mental or physical illness, and it is a harmless form of relief. Music therapy can be a solution to families who cannot afford medicine like antidepressants. A way that we as a whole can change this is by sharing with each other the information we know, so next time you are in a conversation mention a little bit about music therapy in order to have more parents opened minded, if you do so you can reduce the amount of adolescents who do not receive treatment, you will help ease parents’ mind by telling there is another way, finally, you will strengthen the community if you talking about ways to help support each other.
Challenge statement
Teens who suffer from depression are not being informed about the forms of support they can receive.
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