- (Rue) The other thing
about depression is it kinda
collapses time.
- (teacher) Rue, are you listening?
- Oh. I've heard so much
about this show.
I haven't seen it yet.
- I've heard of it.
It's Euphoria.
- It's a good show.
It's very realistic.
- (Rue) Suddenly,
you find your whole days
blending together to create
one endless and suffocating loop.
- Oh! That's Zendaya, right?
- I love Zendaya.
She's a really good actress.
- (Rue) So, you find yourself
trying to remember the things
that made you happy.
- Oh.
- This was such
an important scene in Euphoria.
- (Jules) Do you wanna get closer?
- (Rue) Yeah.
But slowly, your brain begins
to erase every memory
that ever brought you joy.
- Yikes.
- It's so true.
That's how it hits.
- (woman) And eventually,
all you can think about
is how life has always been this way.
- I've heard that this show talks
a lot about mental health,
and they touch upon subjects
that are really hard to watch.
- (woman) And it will only continue
to be this way.
- Damn.
- That kind of is
how depression is sometimes,
'cause you don't remember
the last time it was
that you were happy.
Sometimes, it feels like
you're gonna die and, like,
what's the point
of going on with life?
I feel nothing inside me,
like I don't matter,
like I'm nothing.
- That's like one of the main things
I felt like I went through at least
was just a cycle
of a bunch of BS.
Things that you wish you could do,
you're not able to because
of this inner blockage.
So, I feel like you want
to do things, but you're almost
forced to stay in bed.
- One of the reasons
I know when I'm depressed
is because I love life.
When you are so sad
and in such a dark place,
you kind of forget
everything that makes you happy.
I'm already tearing up.
You forget the things
that make life great.
- (FBE) We have a lot more
videos to show you because today,
in honor of World Mental Health Day,
we wanted to shine a spotlight
on how mental health,
specifically depression and anxiety,
has been portrayed in the media
throughout the years.
And since we have all teens
in this episode,
all the videos we show you today
will be specific to teenagers.
- That's really good.
I mean, we need something like that.
- I didn't know
that it had its own day,
but I'm very happy it does.
- I'm glad that teenagers
are being represented.
Kids grow up seeing these movies
and these TV shows
about how perfect high school is,
and then they go in
and it's so much more than that.
- (Deanie) And I think Wordsworth
means that when we grow up...
- Wow, 1961.
- I can't believe that they talked
about this in 1961.
- (Deanie) ...that we have to
forget the ideals of youth
and find strength...
- Oh, is she having trouble
talking in front of a class? Anxiety?
I feel that.
- There's nothing worse
than crying in class
and breaking down in class.
- (Deanie) Miss Metcalf,
may I please be--
- Aww.
- It's sad.
I feel like that was
a depiction of anxiety.
- It's so interesting that it was
portrayed in the 1960s.
That's pretty forward
for its time.
- (FBE) This clip was from
the 1961 film "Splendor in the Grass."
It focuses on the tail
of a teenage girl in the 1920s
and the effects of heartbreak
on her psyche.
In this particular scene,
Deanie had just figured out
her boyfriend cheated on her
with another classmate of hers.
- (softly) Yeah. Yeah.
Um, (chuckles)
I've been cheated on twice.
It [bleep] with you a lot in the head.
It makes you very untrusting
of people. It sort of sucks.
- When I went through that,
I couldn't control my feelings at all.
- I couldn't get a grip
on how I wish I could feel
or what was going on.
I just knew that I was hurt.
And because of that,
I was doing things
I wish I never did
and saying things I wish I never did,
because it's like everything
just starts blowing up inside you,
just like a pain.
- (Brian) Know why I'm here today?
Do you?!
- Aww, Breakfast Club.
- (sighs) I remember this movie.
- (Brian) I'm here because Mr. Ryan
found a gun in the locker.
- I have seen the Breakfast Club,
but I don't remember this scene.
- (Brian) I can't have an F.
I can't have it.
- School stress.
- (Brian) I know my parents
can't have it.
- That line right there,
so accurate.
- (Brian) ...if I aced
the rest of the semester,
I'm still only a B.
- Anthony Michael Hall.
- (girl) Brian...
- Yeah.
- (Brian) [Bleep]!
- Sounds like a suicidal type thing.
- This specific thing,
you can apply to a ton of people.
You know, there's so much pressure
to go-- to do good in high school,
so you can get into a good college,
have a good job.
And I feel like sometimes
that pressure can overwhelm people.
- We're held to this expectation
that all As, everything that--
good for college, good for parents,
but it's just we're
not given time to breathe.
- I've had friends
who have left school,
because they find it really stressful
and I've just never seen them again.
I know that I felt moments before
where it's just like
I always constantly
have to impress my parents
with my grades,
'cause that's the only thing
that I have going for me.
But it's just...
it's really hard,
especially nowadays
whether you go to public school
or private school.
- (Zach) We gotta go.
Let's go!
- (Jessie) Where are we going?
- (Zach) Where are we going?
You're singing tonight.
- Oh. I've seen this scene.
Wasn't this the scene
where he found out that--
wasn't she doing drugs?
I saw this on Instagram
a few years back, that scene.
I just remember looking
at the comments,
and a lot of people
were just talking about the acting.
- (Jessie) I gotta wash my hair.
- (Zach) No, there's no time!
- (Jessie) No time!
There's NEVER any time!
I don't have time to study!
I'll never get into Stanford!
I'll let everyone down!
I'm so confused!
- (Zach) Jessie, hey!
- I've been there.
- (Zach) It's okay.
- (Jessie) You're right.
- (Zach) It's okay.
- (Jessie) Everything will be okay.
- (Zach) Yeah.
- (Jessie) I just need one of these.
- Oh, shoot.
- I can't believe they touched
on pills and addiction.
- (Jessie) I need them, Zach!
I have to...
- Nooo.
- (Zach) You can't sing tonight!
- (Jessie) Yes, I can!
♪ I'm so excited ♪
♪ I'm so excited ♪
- Yikes.
- ♪ I'm so... ♪
(cries) Scared!
- (Zach) Jessie, Jessie.
- Yeah. That's actually
what's going on in my life right now.
I was not expecting that one.
I'm constantly working,
and I care about a lot
of things in my life.
And I want to achieve
so many things.
And it's really hard
when you look at your life
and you look at the 24 hours
in a day, and you feel like
you can't even sleep.
- (FBE) That scene was
from Saved by the Bell,
and you might have actually
seen it memed online
even though it does
deal with some serious subject matter,
but many say in a very
over-the-top way.
- Yeah. I feel like--
I mean, the fact that that was
a meme, it's really--
I mean, I get where--
because it's a sitcom
and it's 22 minutes,
and it's hard to really
look at it as a serious issue.
People feeling almost anxiety
and feeling like, "Oh my god,
I have to do this and that,"
it's a real thing.
- There's this hustle culture
that you just gotta keep going
and keep pushing and keep grinding
and that your mental well-being
doesn't matter.
And that's shown.
She's like, "I can push through it.
I'll just take a pill,
and then I'll keep singing.
It'll be fine."
- At that point,
you low-key kinda wanna die.
So, it's like, "Might as well
do some drugs."
That was my logic,
'cause I remember being 12
and doing drugs,
you know what I'm saying?
Because it's like [bleep] up.
So, you're just like,
"Man, I wanna die.
Might as well do something."
As you get older, things become better
is what I've noticed.
- I've had my fair share
of abusing drugs in dark times.
After that whole situation
went down with my ex,
I went to psychedelics.
It felt better than the way
I felt when I wasn't on it,
and it was available to me.
And it's like, if someone
offers you happiness for 10 bucks,
would you take it?
I lost two, three jobs
because of this,
and I lost respect
from my parents, you know,
which sucks, 'cause, you know,
I didn't even have to do it.
I could've just talked
to them or something like that.
I feel like-- if I'm gonna
have any message in this episode,
it's just drugs
are never the option.
- (Hollyhock) Where do you go
when you disappear all day?
- I love BoJack Horseman.
- Oh, I've heard about this show.
- (BoJack) Sometimes I go to a bar.
- I've heard a lot of good things
about this show.
- (BoJack) ...just sit there
for hours.
- (Hollyhock) Why?
- I just find this
so incredibly unrelatable,
'cause they're horses.
- (Hollyhock) ...do that
than spend time with me.
- (BoJack) Hollyhock--
- (Hollyhock) I know you didn't
ask for this dorky 17-year-old
to just show up at your door,
and I'm sorry if I'm annoying, but--
- (BoJack) No, Hollyhock.
I'm glad you're here.
You need to know that whatever
I do, it's not your fault.
- (Hollyhock) I know.
I mean, I know,
but I don't always know, you know?
- I know.
- (Hollyhock) Like, sometimes I have
this tiny voice in the back of my head
that goes like, "Hey,
everyone hates you,
and they're not wrong
to feel that way."
- Whoa.
- (BoJack) I know what you mean.
- (Hollyhock) That voice,
the one that tells you
you're worthless and stupid
and ugly...
- (BoJack) Yeah?
- (Hollyhock) It goes away, right?
It's just like a dumb...
- That's literally what
I'm going through right now.
- (Hollyhock) ...then it goes away.
- No.
- (BoJack) Yeah.
- I can't believe
he told her yeah.
- That little voice
is there for everybody,
and sometimes it's louder
than it usually is.
Sometimes it just doesn't exist,
but it's always with you.
- Everybody has that voice.
It doesn't go away,
but... sometimes you just need
to stop listening.
- Some days, I'll just have
an urge to cry,
and I have no clue why at all.
And I get really tight
around my chest.
I like to hang out
with people that are closest to me.
I feel like that helps,
'cause I'm meeting a bunch
of new people, and I feel like
I have to kinda fake a little bit.
And so, yeah, I just-- god.
I don't know why
I'm getting emotional, but yeah.
- (FBE) Before we get into everything,
since we are discussing
mental health among teenagers today,
do you feel open to sharing
any stories about how mental health
has affected you or your loved ones?
- Definitely with me
since I broke down
and went through that whole
me drinking, doing psychedelics,
smoking, and all that.
I feel like my parents
looked down on me because of that.
They were more talking down on me
rather than trying to help me
and bring me out of it.
What I was doing
was obviously stupid
and dumb, you know.
I was acting out through that
with depression.
I didn't wanna do any of that,
but it felt good to do it.
- I've had really bad anxiety attacks.
I've had problems
where I've literally lost vision.
It's a lot. And you don't even
know when it's coming.
- Sometimes I don't cope the best way.
Sometimes I'll just not do anything.
And I would listen to those voices,
which I really don't like doing.
I won't cry or anything,
but I'll just lay in my bed
and not do anything.
Right now, I feel like I have
a really good family support system.
I feel like they do help me.
They do understand
what I'm going through
and that helps me a lot.
- When I was 15,
I was under so much academic pressure
And I was taking AP chemistry,
and I remember that I had
to take a retest.
And I studied so hard for the retake,
'cause I got a C on the first one
and I needed an A on the second one
that I forgot to eat for three days.
And I was in the library,
and I remember feeling
like I was gonna pass out.
And I called my mom
and I was like,
"I don't know if I should--
what to do.
I need this A."
And she was like,
"When's the last time you ate?"
And I couldn't remember.
I was at the lowest point
of my life probably
when I was 15 and a half.
I was so young,
and I had so many things
to look forward to,
but I could feel none of it.
- (FBE) So recently,
there was a study that showed
a 3% increase in depression
or anxiety in adolescents
aged three to 17.
- Three?
- Three to 17. God.
- (FBE) However, it appears
there has been no
statistically significant increase
in adults diagnosed.
From your perspective as a teen,
why do you think adolescents
are seeing an increase
in depression and anxiety
in today's world while adults
appear not to be?
- More younger kids are
getting more phones.
They're getting their phones
and they're more into social media.
My mom didn't let me
have a social media
even though I was on React
when I was a kid.
She controlled it all.
- I was talking to one
of my high school friends,
and he said that it's so much harder
to get into school now--
into a college now
than it was two years ago
when I applied for college.
And with increasing difficulty
to get in, they have to do more.
And on top of the pressure
they have, it's just
getting even harder
to do what they're trying to do.
- Honestly, social media.
I've had to learn to deal
with people not liking you.
Sometimes people don't like you,
and they'll say the worst things
in the world that they possibly can
to get attention from you for it.
And that was a really big thing
I had to deal with.
- The world has become
this pressure cooker
for youth, because there's so much
pressure on maintaining
the perfect image,
maintaining the perfect grades.
There's just so much
riding on your future.
I feel like back
in our parents' times,
it was a little easier
to grow up.
Things weren't put
under such a microscope.
There wasn't things
like cancel culture
or, you know,
the extreme cyberbullying
that goes on.
With social media,
what you do is you put
your best foot forward.
You post the highlights.
- (FBE) Finally, there are
likely many people watching today
who are dealing with the issues
we've been speaking about.
What would you like to say
to those out there
that is something that you think
might help them out?
- I don't know.
I don't know what might help.
Man, I'm still trying
to figure it out myself.
You gotta have healthy outlets.
You gotta have ways
of expressing yourself
in a healthy way,
because you can't have it inside.
You have to let it out.
- Know what's a distraction
and what is really there
to continuously make you happy.
Don't fall into temporary temptations,
because they're gonna lead
to more problems, and it's just
gonna make you more sad.
- If you're going through
just a really, really hard time,
and you need to talk to somebody,
but you're too afraid,
please find somebody you can trust
whether it's a family member
or a total stranger
that is in the power
to help you in your situation.
- You need to talk about it.
And it's embarrassing, and it's
a really just vulnerable thing
to be doing, but if you need
any encouragement, look at me
right now on your phone
or your computer
being completely open
with all of you
about what's going on
in my life right now.
I think you can do it too.
Things suck sometimes.
It's... things happen,
and it hurts,
and you feel like it's never
gonna go away, and it feels
like it takes forever
to get over some things in life,
but the storm will pass.
There's always gonna be
a light at the end of the tunnel.
It's gonna be okay.
