More than Sad

T.C. Williams is partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention to present the More Than Sad program to all current 9th and 12th
grade students. The More Than Sad: Teen Depression program was developed to
show young people and those close to them what depression looks like in
adolescents and how it can be treated. The key aims of this program are to
help teens recognize depression in themselves or their friends, and to
encourage them to seek help.
More Than Sad was designed to be used as an educational tool to achieve
several specific goals:

. To educate high school students and other teens to recognize the
signs and symptoms of depression in themselves and others;

. To convey the de-stigmatizing notion that depression is an illness
that, just like any other medical illness, responds to specific treatments;

. To promote the importance and acceptability of seeking help for
oneself or a friend; and

. To demystify the treatment process by showing how teens can get
help for depression, what treatment involves and what it can achieve.

Parent Presentation: The More Than Sad parent presentation will take place
at the PTSA meeting on March 18 from 7:00-8:15pm in the Rotunda (second
floor, room E201) at the King Street campus (3330 King Street). This
important presentation will provide parents with information about
adolescent depression and suicide, including risk factors, warning signs and
supports. Tips on how to talk to family members and when to get help, if
needed, will also be shared.