Arrow-right Camera

Color Scheme

Subscribe now

This column reflects the opinion of the writer. Learn about the differences between a news story and an opinion column.

Respect teens’ mental health

Many times teenage mental health problems are swept under the rug, because they get labeled as hormones or just being over-dramatic. When you’re told you’re just “being a teenager” and it’ll pass, it can make you feel very alone (which doesn’t help the problem).

As a teenager who struggles with depression, it can be very difficult to come forward and admit you need help. Luckily, I have a supportive family that took it seriously and got me the help I need, but lots of kids don’t get that same support.

I believe we need to teach people, especially adults, that teenagers aren’t always just “being over-dramatic” and a lot of the time it’s a more serious problem than us just being sad. If we want suicide rates in teens to go down, we need to stop making teenagers feel so unimportant and irrelevant.

Megan Christensen

Spokane

Letters Policy

The Spokesman-Review invites original letters on local topics of public interest. Your letter must adhere to the following rules:

  • No more than 250 words
  • We reserve the right to reject letters that are not factually correct, racist or are written with malice.
  • We cannot accept more than one letter a month from the same writer.
  • With each letter, include your daytime phone number and street address.
  • The Spokesman-Review retains the nonexclusive right to archive and re-publish any material submitted for publication.

Unfortunately, we don’t have space to publish all letters received, nor are we able to acknowledge their receipt. (Learn more.)

Submit letters using any of the following:

Our online form
Submit your letter here
Mail
Letters to the Editor
The Spokesman-Review
999 W. Riverside Ave.
Spokane, WA 99201
Fax
(509) 459-3815

Read more about how we crafted our Letters to the Editor policy