This blog answers: How to cope with post-high school depression? What are the reasons for post-high school depression? What are the signs and symptoms of post-high school depression? What is depression? What are the symptoms of depression? What are the treatment options for depression?

How to cope with post-high school depression?

Some ways to cope with post-high school depression are:

Carry out mindfulness

Students who experience post-high school depression must carry out mindfulness in the form of meditation, yoga, or deep breathing. Mindfulness helps individuals to focus on their emotions and thoughts and regulate them accordingly.

Stay connected

Many students experience post-high school depression due to the feelings of losing touch with their social circles and close friends. In such situations, students can actively stay in touch with their close friends through phone calls or even plan dates.

Staying in touch with their friends also helps them understand that they are not alone in this journey after graduating they can understand the various challenges that their friends are facing and feel less lonely. it also gives them a perspective to look at the various challenges.

Identify your interests

Students must understand that graduating from high school does not mean an end to carrying out and exploring their interests. Instead, they must look at this more positively and spend more time exploring their interest and see where their passion lies.

Making new connections

While many students fear losing contact with their old friends after graduating high school they must understand that life is about connecting with various individuals from different walks of life throughout one’s life cycle

Keeping this in mind individuals must actively try and form social connections through social media and other mutual contacts which will help them grow and develop.

Seek help

Graduating from high school can be a very overwhelming feeling and might not be easy for some students to get over. In such situations, students can consider seeking help from their friends and family or also visiting a professional to work on their symptoms of depression.

How to cope with post-high school depression?

Psychoeducation

Psychoeducation refers to educating oneself about their diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment plan. This is usually done by the therapist in a clinical setup. Once the students are aware of their diagnosis, symptoms, and treatment plan working through it becomes much easier due to a sense of acceptance.

What are the reasons for post-high school depression?

Some reasons for post-high school depression are:

A sense of uncertainty
Apprehension about the future
Fear of losing touch with friends and social circle
Fear of college rejections
A lack of structure and routine
a decrease in self-esteem and confidence
Fear of major transitions after graduating
Holding unrealistic expectations.

What are the signs and symptoms of post-high school depression?

Some signs and symptoms of post-high school depression are:

Lack of interest in things enjoyed in the past
Use and abuse of drugs and substances.
Feeling lonely
Feeling uncertain about life and a sense of apprehension associated with it
Experiencing sleep problems such as sleeping too little or too much
Decreased self-esteem and self-confidence
A sense of irritability, agitation, and avoidance

What is depression?

Depression is one of the most common serious mental health conditions that negatively impact how an individual feels and thinks.

Depression is associated with feelings of sadness, a loss of interest in daily activities, and drastic changes in the energy level and the daily routines of an individual.

Depression in itself can lead to other physical and emotional problems which can be detrimental to a person’s functioning.

The symptoms of depression can vary from individual to individual from mild to severe depending on various factors.

Studies indicate that depression affects about 15% of adults every year and one in every six people experience depression at some time in their life.

Although depression can occur at any age it is more common among teenagers and early adults. Research indicates that women are more vulnerable to depression than men.

What are the symptoms of depression?

The characteristic symptoms of depression are:

Feelings of sadness or depressed mood
Loss of interest in activities enjoyed in the past
Changes in appetite leading to weight gain or weight loss
Changes in sleep patterns with very little sleep or long hours of sleep
Decrease in the level of energy
Feelings of worthlessness
Feeling guilty
Difficulty thinking and concentrating
In severe cases thoughts of death or suicide

Symptoms of depression must last up to two weeks and cause significant impairment in an individual’s daily functioning to meet the diagnosis of depression.

What are the treatment options for depression?

Depression though widespread is one of the most treatable mental illnesses. About 90% of people with depression respond well to treatment.

Some possible treatment options for depression are

Medication

Antidepressants are very commonly prescribed by doctors to individuals with depression. These medications are not sedatives or tranquilizers. They generally do not have any stimulating effects on people who do not experience depression.

Antidepressants usually show their effects within a few weeks. However, in cases where patients do not see any improvement after several weeks, they can alter their doses based on the suggestions provided by their health care practitioners.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is also called talk therapy. It is used as a single mode of treatment for mild depression or for moderate to severe depression along with antidepressants.

Psychotherapy might involve the individual alone or other related individuals for instance the family of the concerned person.

Depending on the severity of depression psychotherapy might take a few weeks or much longer for significant improvement

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy where the therapist actively focuses on problem-solving. This is done by helping individuals replace their negative thoughts with more positive ones.

Electroconvulsive therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy is a treatment model that is commonly used for patients with severe and major depression who usually do not respond to other lines of treatment.

It involves brief electrical stimulation of the brain while the patient is under anesthesia.

Patients receive electroconvulsive therapy two or three times a week for a total of 6 to 12 sessions.

Self-help and coping strategies

Apart from therapy and medicine individuals can also carry out some self-help coping strategies such as carrying out regular exercises, getting sufficient sleep, indulging in pleasurable activities, maintaining a healthy diet, and avoiding alcohol to reduce their symptoms of depression

Conclusion

Graduating from high school can be a very overwhelming feeling for many students. This can lead you to various reasons such as their bond with their friends the constant support provided by their mentors and the various memories that they have built in their school.

However, students must try and focus on the positive sides of graduating from high school and see the various opportunities and life ahead of high school. in cases where students find it very difficult to manage their low mood caused by graduating high school, they can seek help or adapt to self-help strategies that help them provide a sense of comfort.

Frequently asked questions: How to cope with post-high school depression?

Why does graduating high school feels sad?

Many students might feel sad after graduating high school because they feel they will not experience the same bond with their social groups after graduating.

Is leaving high school sad?

Feeling sad about leaving high school is very normal and experienced by many. this is mainly because of the significance and meaning that high school holds in many student’s life. it takes quite some time for students to process the feelings of leaving high school.

Does life get easier after high school?

Many students and individuals report that life gets much better after graduating from high school. While many others say that they feel a sense of loss.

What does graduation day feel like?

Many students have reported a sense of excitement, anticipation, and pride along with a sense of loss, fear, and discouragement around their graduation day and on the day itself.

Conclusion

Depression after high school graduation (5 tips to cope)

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

How to cope with post-high school depression?