This document contains information from a school counselor's presentation on teenage depression, healthy and unhealthy relationships, and sexual harassment. It defines teenage depression and lists its common signs and symptoms. It provides advice on seeking help and distinguishing depression from normal sadness. The document also discusses the characteristics of healthy versus unhealthy relationships, and gives clear and less clear examples of sexual harassment. It references examples of these topics that occurred in the book.

1. Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
Teen Age Depression: signs, symptoms and what to
do now
Healthy Relationships: what they look like
Sexual Harassment: examples and types

2. WHO AM I?
• BETH MICAL: FRESHMAN COUNSELOR
• bmical@mgsd.k12.nc.us

3. TEENAGE DEPRESSION
• WHAT IS IT?
• WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND
SYMPTOMS?
• WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

4. TEENAGE DEPRESSION:
WHAT IS IT?
• Depression is a response to a
stimulus or a situation.
• Examples: Disturbing event, death of
a friend or loved one, break up with
boyfriend or girlfriend, failure at
school
• What set off Melinda’s Depression?

5. TEENAGE DEPRESSION
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
• Poor performance in school
• Withdrawal from friends/activities at school
• Sadness and hopelessness
• Lack of enthusiasm, energy or motivation
• Anger, rage and over reaction to criticism
• Indecision, lack of concentration or forgetfulness
• Restlessness and agitation
• Changes in eating and sleeping patterns
• Substance abuse
• Problems with authority

6. MELINDA’S
SIGNS/SYMPTOMS
• What signs and symptoms did
Melinda display in the book?

7. TEENAGE DEPRESSION:
WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?
• What can you do if you have a friend or family member that shows
these signs or symptoms?
• If you think you are at risk for depression, here are some things you
can do to help yourself:
• Avoid drugs and alcohol
• Be friends with people who have positive goals and are involved
in positive activities
• Have a good social support system
• Make healthy choices regarding dealing with stress,
relationships, drugs/alcohol.
• Eat a healthy, well-balenced diet.
• EXERCISE and get enough sleep.
• Seek help as soon as you feel out of control. DO NOT WAIT!

8. HOW IS TEENAGE DEPRESSION
DIFFERENT FROM JUST BEING
SAD?
• Everyone has ups and downs, and everyone experiences sadness.
• Things that can cause the sadness include an argument with a
friend, a breakup, doing badly on a test/project, not making a team,
moving to another town/school.
• These feelings of sadness are usually brief and go away after a little
time.
• Depression lasts for weeks, months, or longer and involves
STRONG feelings of sadness, discouragement, despair and
hopelessness.

9. healthy relationships:
WHAT MAKES A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP?
• MUTUAL RESPECT: Does he or she get how cool you are and why?
• Do they listen when you say you are not comfortable with something and back off?
• TRUST: A little jealousy is a normal emotion. How does he or she react to you talking to
other people?
• HONESTY: Are you telling the truth? Is he or she telling the truth? Ever caught him or her
in a major lie?
• SUPPORT: Can they be there in the good and bad times? Can they take you having good
times to celebrate?
• FAIRNESS/EQUALITY: Do you take turns choosing the movie? Do you hang out equally
with each others friends/family?
• SEPARATE IDENTITIES: Don’t lose yourself to the relationship. Don’t give up your friends
and activities. Be true to yourself.
• GOOD COMMUNICATION: It’s very important to talk about your feelings. Don’t keep
something bottled up because you think he/she doesn’t want to hear it or you’re afraid of
sounding silly.

10. UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS:
WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?
• It involves mean, controlling, disrespectful, or abusive behavior.
• One of the members uses verbal insults, mean language, nasty
putdowns, gets physical by hitting or slapping, or forces someone
into sexual activity.
• Ask yourself does he/she:
• get angry when I don’t drop everything?
• criticize the way I look or dress?
• keep me from seeing friends?
• want me to quit an activity even if I love it?
• ever raise a hand to me in anger as if to hit me?
• try to force me to go further sexually than I want to go?

11. ANY EXAMPLES OF THIS
IN THE BOOK?
• The “Marthas”
• What examples of an unhealthy
relationship did they show?
• Any others?

12. SEXUAL HARASSMENT:
IT IS A BAD WORD
• The Office of Civil Rights considers sexual harassment to be
unwelcome sexual conduct that hurts a student’s ability to participate
in school programs.
• But does it stop there?
• When does a dirty joke become a serious offense?
• Clear cut examples:
• A teacher tells a student they will give him/her an “A” if they will
kiss them.
• A coach tells a student that he/she has a better chance of making
the team if they have sex with them.
• Clear cut, right?

13. SEXUAL HARASSMENT:
WHEN IT’S NOT SO CLEAR
• A Hostile Environment: When it interferes with you doing the things you need to do: school
work, pay attention in class, walk through the halls, etc. When it happens again and again
and again...
• Some examples:
• Leering
• Whistling
• Staring at body parts
• Displaying pornographic or sexist materials or graffitti (ex: Suzy is a slut written on a
locker or bathroom wall.)
• Invading someone’s personal space
• Pressuring someone for a date
• Asking for sex
• Rubbing up against someone
• Telling offensive or sexual jokes or stories

14. how to fight back
• Tell someone: teacher, administrator,
counselor, friend, parent, coach.
• Don’t keep it a secret!
• Don’t accept the “boys will be boys” or “girls
will be girls”.
• Sexual harassment-unlike homework, zits
and SATs-is not an unpleasant teenage
experience you have to put up with.

15. SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN
THE BOOK
• WHAT EXAMPLES OF SEXUAL
HARASSMENT ARE THERE IN THE
BOOK?

16. IN CLOSING...
• QUESTIONS?
• Websites used to gather information:
• www.teendepression.org
• www.kidshealth.org/teen
• www.teenadvice.about.com