Arezou Esmaeeli

28 January 2016

 

         I’ve recently been reading a book called It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. I haven’t finished it yet, but so far it is a fairly interesting book. The story is about a boy named Craig who works really hard to get into a prestigious high school that only accepts the best of the best. After he finally starts going to school, everything starts to go downhill. The girl he likes is dating his best friend. He feels out of place at the high school because of how balanced everyone else is there. Eventually, a lot of stress begins to build up, and Craig doesn’t feel as though he is worth anything. One night, he has thoughts of suicide, so he calls the suicide hotline, and they direct him toward the mental hospital. He checks himself in and his journey of recovery begins.

         I’d like to tell you my thoughts and feelings on Craig. First off, Craig is a very smart kid. He scored a 100% on the entrance exam for a prestigious high school. Craig also has a loving family. They each care for him. His sister always asks him how he is feeling. His mother is always there to support him, and she really cares for him. Although the family doesn’t really have a large income, they are still willing to invest in a therapist. Craig also mentions that the therapist charges $120 an hour which not many families would be willing to pay. He mentions in the story several times that he feels as if there is no reason for the depression. He has a great family, friends, and he was accepted into the high school he wants. I think depression is weird like that. Even if it seems as though everything in life is going great on the outside, for some reason you are still suffering. I feel Craig is one who really does want to change for the better. It is quite obvious when he checks himself into the hospital because he wanted to commit suicide. Another factor that shows his determination to change are the soldier voices in his head. I like to see them as voices of encouragement. They tell him to eat, they tell him to sleep. The soldiers tell him to do everything that he would have done normally without the depression. Also when he is in the mental hospital, he seems to realize what needs to be done in order to benefit himself. He disconnects the friendship he had with his friends. He socializes with the people at the hospital. he eats his meals fully, he is also able to sleep. Craig is making progress!

         Many times throughout the book, Craig feels as though there is no reason for his depression due to the quality of life he is living. Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. A poor quality of life can be a cause of depression (i.e. divorced parents, abusive relationships, etc), depression can also happen to those with good lives. Depression can happen to anyone, and it can lead to other diseases such as heart disease, anorexia and OCD.  Craig shows common symptoms of depression in the beginning of the book.

Common symptoms of depression shown in Craig includes:

 

1. He has trouble sleeping. Sure, we all have had our fair share of restless nights. However, Craig was having trouble sleeping nearly every night. That is when you know that something isn’t going the way it should be. I remember that during harder times in my life, sleep was a very hard thing to do. Not only was sleep tough, but also waking up in the morning knowing I have to go through the day. Craig also had troubles getting up in the morning. Even after he had awaken from his sleep, the story mentions how he was able to get up fifty minutes later because he had to use the restroom.

2. Major changes in weight or appetite. Craig used to be a very healthy kid, it seemed. He’s smart, he has friends. Along with that it seems like he would be eating well. Until high school started, and everything seemed to begin to go downhill. Craig suddenly wasn’t able to eat. Not only may that be linked to depression but also eating disorders are dangerous. Craig would try to eat. The soldiers in his head would encourage him to eat, telling him that this is war. Unfortunately, no matter how much Craig tried the food wouldn’t stay down. Craig would go days without eating a sufficient amount of food. That is not healthy for anybody.

3. Feelings of worthlessness and/or hopelessness. Craig has studied very hard to get into the high school of his dreams. Whenever Craig finally started attending the high school, he started having trouble with the school work load. Students there were able to take so many hard classes and still take part in extracurricular activities. Craig had to quit Tae Bo in order to even try to cope with the four hour load of homework he brought home everyday. He began to feel as if he won’t be able to succeed. He isn’t able to excel in his studies so he begins to bring himself down. He feels as though he doesn’t belong at the school.

4. Recurring thoughts of suicide. Although the one that is depressed is having thoughts of suicide, friends and family may have no idea. Craig claimed to have thoughts of suicide every single day. He even knew how he would kill himself if that were ever to happen. Once he checked into the mental hospital saying he wanted to kill himself, his mother was shocked. She had no idea he had thoughts like that and was very pleased he decided to make a change for the better. Friends of his had no idea as well. They didn’t even know about his depression at all. They figured that it was always in Craig’s nature to be how he was.

           Depression is a serious problem that is becoming more and more common. Depression is the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Some people are embarrassed by the fact that they are depressed, others are afraid to show it. Never let the answer to solving depression to be death. Do what you can to help get the "shift." Make sure to talk to a trusted adult or friend about your depression and always seek for help.