Sadness, feeling down, having a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities – these are the symptoms that are frequently seen and experience. But, if they affect our daily life, it may be depression.Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistently low mood and a feeling of sadness and loss of interest and if it is neglected, it might lead to suicide. In the present time, it is undeniable that a lot of people are experiencing depression. The daughter of the actor and actress Nonie Buencamino and Shamaine Buencamino took her own life at the age of 15 because of depression. This is the reason why they established the advocacy campaign “The Julia Buencamino Project.”
The Julia Buencamino project is a suicide prevention advocacy which exhibits Julia’s artworks in schools as they encourage teenagers to express their depression, acknowledge it as an illness, and ask for help from adults. With their advocacy, the buencaminos are hoping to reach out teenagers who are suffering from depression. For me, this advocacy campaign is a very creative way of persuading the teenagers with depression to tell or to share their problems and thoughts with other people. Sharing about your problems is very difficult for people who’s facing depression because they think that having a talk wouldn’t help or fix their problems, they worry about how other people will react, they may feel guilty, or ashamed, or worry about being a burden and they believe depression is something they should be dealing with alone. With this advocacy it encourages them that asking for help is not bad.
Recently, i’ve been feeling lonely, alone, empty and worthless. I’ve been thinking a lot. I overthink almost everytime. It seems like i have a lot of problems but i cannot distinguish one. I feel like a burden to my friends and family. I feel so small and useless. Every night, i would cry silently inside my room because i don’t want my mom or my dad to hear my sob. During our break time in school, I would go to the comfort room and cry. I dont want to tell my parents or friends about it. I don’t really know why am I feeling like this. I browsed on the internet to find some answers. And luckily I found something, it says that during your teenage years it is normal to feel lonely and alone and it is because of development of the brain and hormonal changes. One way to feel less lonely is to do activities outside and try to have a talk with other people. At first, I didn’t find it useful because I didn’t believe that having a talk would help. But one day a friend told me something and those words made me cry. I told her everything and she gave me some advice. I feel relieved and eased. Yet, I am still not okay. But as what they say, healing takes time.
The Julia Buencamino project explains everything. Their advocacy is very timely and helpful. It is very true that having a talk would really cure depression. We should support this kind of advocacy and contribute in building a community where children suffering from mental illness can experience complete acceptance, build a space where they can be at their most vulnerable, free of judgment and fear.
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