The following will be somehow subjective from a global perspective. As teenagers we have that thing that goes around called “teenage depression”. Many say, especially the adults, that it’s because of the social media, that we compare our lives to the Insta-famous; or that we see people out on vacation and wish we were in their place, and see all these smiles plastered with super glue on their faces and we begin wishing we were as happy as they are while being oblivious to the fact that most of them are simply wearing a joyous mask hiding their own depression.  Others might say it’s because of that “followers, likes & comments” stigma: the more you have of them the more you are liked. However, the truth is that most of these people that follow you, once you have 1k+ noted on your followers account don’t know you and might not care that much. Yes, this reality hurts, but really doesn’t real life hurt too? As children we’ve, well most of us said that we wanted to become adults, that life would be “so cool” then. Guess what though? It is bad, all the bills you have to pay, the effect your country has on you, the discrimination and the difficulty of finding a good, stable, well-paying job. Parents, they don’t really talk about it in front of us, but it’s true. 

Now let’s talk about parents, shall we? Parents are blamed most of the time for traumatizing us. Yes, fathers, the creators of daddy issues; and mothers, also have their effect. The following goes for parents: Did you know that one of the reasons we might be so distant is because we feel all your negativity that you try to hide and we feel that our own problems are so trivial that we hide them from you in return? Did you know that we are angry all the time because your own anger has taught us that things would be better if we pushed you away? Your anger has created a wall stopping our communication, because whenever we might feel like talking to you, we know that a ginormous lecture is waiting for us around the corner? Your pressure for us to do well in school so we “wouldn’t repeat your own mistakes” has brought us so much stress. And, the tons and tons of homework from school with their nonsensical tests has brought us our own demise? The real depression? What makes it teenage depression though? Hormones, these cursed hormones! Did you know that in the Middle East everything is taboo? We see what people our age, are doing in countries like the U.S and feel so oppressed. In the Middle East if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community, they kill you or throw you in jail. In the Middle East losing your virginity before marriage is a crime having your condemnation as a punishment! Especially if you belong to a fanatic family. Yes, the word fanatic is well intended. It is your own body and being in 2019, no one has the right to tell you the dos and don’ts when it comes to your body. They say no intercourse before marriage while some of them marry off their little girls to some 90-year-old creep. They may beat us, abuse us and I mean emotional, verbal and physical abuse, they might do so many things to us that remaining silent is utterly and completely delusional! This isn’t a feminist cause, boys too are oppressed and even more because they have to become a “man”, they have to “man up” and honestly, this is awful! All that I am saying will be viewed as terrible, yet, I couldn’t care less. I keep on telling everyone around me to spread awareness, it’s time for me to be brave enough to spread awareness about this in a place where we, as teenagers are oppressed and can’t do anything, fearing that our bravery will lead us to our own personal funeral. So, to go back to “teenage depression”, I believe it to be a reality, because I have gone through it and unfortunately, I don’t believe that I am completely cured of it, for, it is still roaming inside of me with a great rage, rotting my ever-fighting mind. Personally, my parents are great. My mother will do anything for me and my father is trying to make up for everything. However, I have seen terrible cases and felt the need to speak up. Finally, just keep spreading awareness, seek or recommend seeking help and fight. Never stop fighting. We are in a world with a motto that roars “survival of the fittest”. Therefore, knowing that there are so many of us and that by joining our power we can overcome anything including our region’s primitive stigmas, I am asking you to please break the silence. Thank you.