- November 18, 2024
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Christina Cabada couldn’t sleep much, didn’t eat much. A sadness gnawed away at her while she kept up appearances of a well-adjusted middle schooler.
“I don’t think any of my friends noticed it,” said Cabada, now an 8th grader at Indian Trails Middle School. “It was hard to even laugh sometimes, I had to just fake smile. It became a bigger and bigger issue, and I thought things I’d never think before. I just wish someone was there for me.”
Cabada pulled herself out of her pall with the power of positive thinking, but in October, she took action to ensure other teens won’t have to face teen depression alone. Along with three other students and service learning teacher Dana Hausen, she formed the Guardian Angels — a club that focuses on awareness and intervention for teen depression and suicide.
As a reminder to the Palm Coast community that teen depression remains a relevant issue, the Guardian Angels will lay a stone in the Children’s Memorial Garden at Waterfront Park. It will read, “In dedication to those who have lost their battle with teen depression.”
The city has partnered with the group and will provide funding for the stone with money generated from the upcoming Arbor Day 1-mile Fun Run.
For Hausen, who lost both her mother and grandmother to suicide, the resilience of the girls in the face of repeated roadblocks is noteworthy. The Guardian Angels originally planned to do counseling and peer intervention at Halifax Hospital, but that was “nixed” due to confidentiality concerns. Earlier this year, school administration put the kibosh on some planned presentations that were deemed too touchy in the wake of two local suicides.
“I’ve watched them mature in their views over time and really become sensitive to the issue,” Hausen said.
On Friday, the group taught four sections of an Indian Trails health class about the symptoms of depression and ways to seek help. The lesson was complete with a Powerpoint presentation, icebreaker activities, and rewards in the form of candy.
“Sometimes your friends don’t want to talk about it, because it’s not really something you’re proud of if you battle teen depression,” 8th grader Erin Reynolds said.
The girls did extensive research on symptoms of depression and visited guidance counselors to find out how many students schedule appointments to discuss depression suicidal thoughts or feelings. It’s a number they claim has jumped by 60% since they started the project.
“We’re trying to help kids through depression, or if they have suicidal thoughts, because we want to be there for them when people aren’t,” 8th grader Olivia Reynolds said.
