Crossroads High School
welcomed the Seattle Children’s Theater with open arms as they performed Ghosted,
a story of four teens dealing with different issues throughout one school day.
Each character represents a different person that so many students can connect
with. Andre, who feels like his life's too good to be depressed, who doesn’t
want to talk about his feels, who feels guilty for having them. Kayla, Andre’s
girlfriend, who doesn’t know how to help her boyfriend and is try too hard to
control and fix the situation when it’s not her job. Sid, a girl dealing with
anxiety attacks, and people think she’s odd, or weird. Liam, a boy with a mom
who’s an addict, who is depressed and expresses his pain through anger. Ghosted
tells a story of experiences, how talking to counselors and friends are good,
and how to talk about the hard truths that students deal with. This play
recognizes the students who rarely are seen or talked about. It gives kids
someone to relate to, it tells them they’re not alone. After seeing this, it
sparked a note in many students and we talked about how it’s okay to feel this
way, what are ways to help you feel better, and about mental illness in
general. If you or someone you know are dealing with issues like this then help
them reach out. Talk to a friend, a counselor, and teacher, or their parents.
Opening up is not wrong, and there are so many resources. If you need help
starting your mental health journey then talk to your doctor or school
counselor. If you are in a crisis call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text 741741.
People dealing with
situations like this often are stressed, full of anxiety, can’t get their work
done, and in general aren’t being helped. There of course are always healthy
levels of stress, anxiety, and sadness, but knowing how much is good is
important. Warning signs for these issues may be:
- Withdrawing from friends and
family
- Stop doing activities that they
enjoy doing
- Self harm, or planning to kill
oneself
- Extreme risk taking
- Weight loss, weight gain, not
eating
- Using drugs or alcohol
- Changes in personality, behavior,
mood
If you notice any of
these in yourself or your friends tell someone. Tell a teacher, a friend, your
family. Tell someone. Reach out and try to get help. One in five youth are
suffering from one of these conditions, and it doesn’t make you weird or bad.
Find support!
