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Walk into any high school in Canada and you spot them immediately; the cliques that can either make or break a young girl’s high school experience. Determining which crowd to go with will determine a young girl’s social status, creating immense pressure for young people. The need to be accepted by fellow peers, and to be thought of as “cool” can be the most important drive in some teenagers. When working with young girls, understanding social pressure is key to understanding depression.

For some, having the right pair of jeans or hairstyle would take precedence over who wins the next election or the war in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, if you do not fit the mould of what is popular, coming to school can be a nightmarish experience. Waking up in the morning and feeling anxiety about going to school is all too common for many high-school girls. Many girls have an idea that once they are part of the in-crowd their lives will suddenly become wonderful. They'll be invited to all the right parties, have a hot boyfriend and all of their problems will cease to exist. Because of this, some girls will try anything to be part of the in-crowd, such as smoking, taking drugs, underage drinking or becoming sexually active.

Some girls, happy with who they are, do not give much thought to being cool or fitting in and choose to engage in activities that are constructive and make them happy. Unfortunately in some situations, if the popular people do not accept a young girl, then she may look elsewhere for the acceptance and sense of belonging that she needs. Some girls will feel the pressure to have sex. Even if they are not ready, they might think that if they have sex with a guy then he will love her back. This may even involve sleeping with many men to find someone who will accept them after others have rejected them. When sleeping with men proves to be unsuccessful, some girls are left with a feeling of worthlessness that will lead to a low self-esteem. Having a low self-esteem is a major factor in depression.

Other girls may choose another path of destruction. Drugs may seem like an easy way out when young girls do not feel accepted. Drugs will never reject them or make them feel alone. Girls may use drugs as a way of meeting people. They may feel that drugs are the only way they can get people to notice them. They use the drugs to give them confidence to talk to people in a social situation such as parties. They also may feel that drugs are a way for them to loosen up, so that they can talk to people and seem like fun. Once someone is dependent on drugs, they feel like they are nothing without drugs. They could possibly think that people have only liked them because of the drugs and without them they will not be seen as fun anymore. With a low self esteem, and a fear of being rejected again, young girls may become depressed.

It is important to remember when treating girls with depression not to categorize them as “bad girls” or judge their situation. Even if it’s just high school, it’s a huge deal to adolescents. Many girls have a hard time envisioning the future and even though high school is just four years, this is their life right now and what they are handling now is a major deal. The need to be accepted now plays a huge part in how these young people will see themselves as adults. If as teenagers they never found a sense of belonging, it will be harder for them as adults to form normal relationships. It is important to help the young girl develop her own sense of self when treating her. Find out what her other interests are. She might not even know what they are, but if you work together with her you can help her find something to get involved in. When she realizes that there is something that can contribute then she will love herself more. Depression will cause her to not appreciate her own self worth. Helping a young girl gain self-respect will be a major step towards recovery.