Depression

Hi,
So I recently found out one of the girls in my class is depressed. Not just sad, like really depressed. I’m not going to mention her name because that wouldn’t be nice, but what I can tell is why. It actually matches up perfectly to an article I read in Seventeen. She’s an overachiever, one of those reach for the stars type, but not only because of her. Her parents are really hard on her. Everyone knows that, but what we didn’t k now was how hard. Until know.

Let me start with how I found out. So I’m graduating from eighth grade on June 11th, so all the eighth grade parents had a meeting tonight to discuss what they should do after the ceremony. It’s going to only be catered dinner with a dance after it like normal (we wanted the pool party or sleepover, but whatever) in the church basement, so technically the meeting was useless.

Well, the moms were talking when Depressed Girl’s friend’s mom told the other moms that the girl had been talking to teachers and to her because her parents won’t speak with her after her last report card. The girl didn’t even fail! The worst grade she had was in the B’s! I knew her parents where tough, her dad is the whole reason I didn’t do soccer last year or this year – he acts like he’s training us for the world cup instead of a stupid middle school soccer game –, but this is just over the top. Just because she got a B, she’s shunned?!?!?

I hope things get better for her. Over the summer I read this article in Seventeen about cutting. Most of the girls who cut themselves were the overachiever-reach-for-the-stars-have-to-be-perfect-at-all-time type. I can only imagine what stress she must be under; her family won’t speak with her, she must feel the constant pull of having to be perfect in everything, and then she has to put on this happy demeanor? Yeah, this year she’s been acting more serious, but she still seems like a happy person. I hope things turn out ok.

~XOXO,
Carrie