More Than Sad: Teen Depression was designed to achieve the following goals:

• Educate high school students and other teens to recognize the signs and symptoms of depression in themselves and others.
• Convey the de-stigmatizing notion that depression is an illness which, just like any other medical illness, responds to specific treatments.
• Promote the importance and acceptability of seeking help for oneself or a friend.
• Demystify the treatment process by showing how teens can get help for depression, what treatment involves and what it can achieve.

The film's core messages include:

• Depression is a common problem that can interfere with teens’ ability to function well in school, enjoy previous hobbies or activities or interact effectively with friends or family members.
• Depression is an illness. It is not a character weakness or something that people bring on themselves or can change at will.
• Depression may develop after a particularly upsetting event or situation, but also develops in young people who don’t seem to have any reason to be depressed.
• Depression usually doesn’t go away on its own, and if left untreated, it may lead to serious consequences, including suicide.
• Treatments for depression are available, and treatment works. If you are depressed, ask for help. If someone you know is depressed, encourage them to get help.

The film features four character vignettes, each presenting a different manifestation of depression, and a different path to finding help. “Lana,” a 14 year-old Hispanic girl who becomes sad and withdrawn from her friends, is referred to treatment by her mother. “Ray,” a 16 year-old African-American boy who excels in schools and sports, seeks treatment on his own when his symptoms of anxiety and depression become unmanageable. “Jake,” a 15 year-old Caucasian boy with a violent temper and an increasing drinking problem, gets help after his friends confide in a school counselor. “Delia,” a lonely, chronically depressed 16 year-old girl, is referred to a therapist by her family doctor when she claims to be sick and unable to go to school after being humiliated by classmates over the Internet. 

Brief Video Clips, which provide an introduction to each of the film’s characters, can be viewed on this website.

More Than Sad: Teen Depression comes packaged with complete Instructional Materials to ensure that teachers and other school personnel are able to show it effectively as part of a comprehensive lesson on teen depression.