Overall health means more than simply being in shape and eating properly. Mental health is just as important as physical health.

During your teenage years, various things may make you sad or get you down. For example, if someone makes fun of your clothes or if you don't do well on a test for which you thought you were prepared. But if you constantly are upset about something, you could be depressed. Depression is a mental illness, but it is treatable once it is accurately diagnosed. Many teenagers experience depression.

Take the following quiz:

• Do you cry more now than you used to?
• Do you think your life is hopeless or meaningless?
• Do you have a hard time sleeping, either sleeping too much or falling asleep at night?
• Do you spend more time alone than you used to?
• Do you ever think of hurting yourself?
• Do you often feel worn out?
• Have you gained or lost weight in the last month or two?
• Have you felt unusually irritable lately?
• How is your appetite? Are you overeating or undereating?

If you answered "yes" to several of these questions, talk to someone about getting help and feeling better. This person could be a teacher, a coach, your parent, an older sibling, or someone else you trust, but TALK WITH SOMEONE. Take a few minutes to make a list of people who you can call.

Depression, if untreated, may cause you to feel like hurting or killing yourself. Suicidal feelings are a very real problem that should be taken seriously. Talk to someone. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, suicide is the fourth leading cause of death for adolescents between 10 and 14 years of age and the third leading cause of death for those 15 to 24 years old. It's hard to understand how anyone, especially a teenager, could take his or her own life, but people who can't shake depression sometimes do. A 2001 CDC survey of high school students showed 19 percent had thought about committing suicide and nearly 9 percent had tried.