Student-led community action plan created and presented during an Ambassador Leadership Summit in 2017 at Harvard University.

1. A.T.D

2. AMBASSADORS
TAKE ON
DEPRESSION

3. ADVERTISEMENT
“Silence is louder
than it seems”

4. WHAT IS DEPRESSION?
● Depression is a common and serious medical illness that
negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how
you act
● Feelings of severe despondency or stress which lead up to
uncontrollable sadness

5. SOME CAUSES OF DEPRESSION
● Genetic Characteristics (Unknown of how/why)
● Change in Hormone Levels
● Serious medical illness
● Substance Abuse (30%)
● Stress and Grief
● Past Abuse (Emotional, Sexual, Physical)
● Medications for High Blood Pressure
Smaller Hippocampus
● Small part of the brain vital to storage
of memories
● Less serotonin receptors to send out
calming chemicals between nerves in
brain and body
● Neurotransmitters
● Millions and billions of chemical
reactions make up our mood,
perception, and how we experience life
X
X
X
X
XX
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6. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
● Mood: Anxiety, guilt, loss of interest
● Sleep: Not getting full sleep, insomnia, early awakening,
restless
● Whole Body: Fatigue, loss of appetite, excessive hunger
● Behaviour: Agitation, irritability, excessive crying and social
isolation
● Weight: Gain or loss
● Also Common: Repeatedly going over thoughts and doubts
X
X
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7. WHO SUFFERS FROM DEPRESSION
● It is a very common mental illness
● There are 300 million people globally
● 23 million are American
● 6.7% of adults globally have depression
● 2% of all teens globally are affected
● Women are twice as likely to be affected by depression than men
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8. TREATMENT
● There is no way to completely treat depression
● There are medications to relieve the symptoms that are not suitable for long
term use
● There are psychological treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
and Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)
● Antidepressants medications include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)

9. OUR GOAL
Our goal as a group is to….
● Help spread awareness about depression
● Educate tweens and teens on basic information and how they can
help those affected
Through…
● Enforcing educational programs in schools
● Partnering with non-profit organisations

10. OUR PLAN
● Pair with non-profit organizations with similar goals
- Ask them to present about depression to students through assemblies
and classroom presentations
● Gather students who are willing to help with the cause
● Partner with teachers to gain adult support to possibly add a course on mental
health at schools
● Work up to principals, superintendents, boards of education, etc.

11. POTENTIAL PARTNER NON -
PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS
Anxiety and
Depression
Association of
America - ADAA
● Research and educate people about depression
● Encourage increase of scientific knowledge about
causes and treatments of depression, anxiety, etc
● They work to reduce the shame that certain people
with depression, anxiety or another mental illness feel
● Help people get the appropriate treatment they need
● Links people who need treatment with the health care
provider that provides it
$

12. ● Their website is full of information about depression
and ways to cope with it and helping others who deal
with it
● They also provide different options for treatments for
depression
● Overall their website helps others better understand
depression
● Harvard health publications are available on the
website as well
POTENTIAL PARTNER NON - PROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
Helpguide.org
$

13. ● Nami is an association that works in communities
around the US to provide awareness about mental
health through education programs for those who
don’t access to it
● They do public awareness events including
community walks
● They also have a helpline to provide information and
support
POTENTIAL PARTNER NON - PROFIT
ORGANIZATIONS
National Alliance
on Mental Illness-
NAMI
$

14. HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED!
● You can talk to your own administrators about ways to
spread awareness in your own community
● You can also make others more educated on
depression and correct them when they make
misconceptions about depression
● Take time to understand situations people are going
through whilst suffering from this illness
● Join ATD!

15. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
If you have any questions, you can find information at the following websites:
● WHO.int (The World Health Organization)
● https://www.adaa.org/
● http://Helpguide.org
● http://Nami.org
● https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression