POST 1 / NEWS ARTICLE / U.S. Depression Rate Remains Historically High

 https://www.njspotlightnews.org/2025/09/nj-hunterdon-regional-high-school-board-scraps-student-mental-health-service-causing-alarm/

https://news.gallup.com/poll/694199/u.s.-depression-rate-remains-historically-high.aspx

1. Consider your proposed BFA project and look for several relevant stories.

    After lots of consideration, I plan to center my BFA around the lived experience of mental illness; more specifically, depression. At its core, I want this piece to delve into themes of grief, hopelessness, and emotional paralysis. This is not to depict shock value, but to create an honest, empathetic space that validates the heaviness of this illness. In the same breath, my BFA will also explore the quiet forms of self-acceptance, comfort, and bravery that coexist living with a depressive disorder. Through this project, my goal is to nurture an understanding, reduce stigma, and create a raw atmosphere that speaks to both those who live with mental illness and those in hopes to better understand it.

   The two articles linked reflect how widespread and pressing the issue of depression has become in America today. In the first article, titled U.S. Depression Rate Remains Historically High, we are shown that within the decade, depression rates in U.S. adults have nearly doubled; bringing the number from 10% of adults affected to over 18%. To me, this is a huge jump. 

    With statistics rising, we are also met with the question of our children being affected by psychiatric conditions. I was first diagnosed with depression at age 10; almost 15 years ago. At the time, resources for me were practically nonexistent, and I was not taken very seriously. One would think that with mental health issues increasing throughout America, kids would be receiving more guidance in terms of their mental health. Just yesterday, I came across an article yesterday titled, School community upset as board ditches mental health service for students. One of the largest high-schools in New Jersey, a town over from where I grew up, has decided not to continue their partnership with several behavioral health services in the coming school year. This deeply upsets me, considering how critical early intervention and access to support can be for students navigating these challenges.