Smack-Ferret said:
No fucking teens have depression. Don't even start.
Tell that the three Ph.D. psychologists running the outpatient therapy clinic where I spent three weeks out of my 9th grade year. They certainly seemed pretty convinced that I (along with most of the people I met there) was or had recently been suffering from acute depression, but I'm sure you know better.
No as a matter of fact I am not joking. Do you know how many high school girls I met that said they were depressed? A friggin heap. Next thing I know there laughing heartily with their other depressed friends.
Responding on the basis of "HAVE depression" as in your first post:
Firstly, I find it rather alarming that you think that high school girls are reliable sources when looking for a clinical diagnosis.
Secondly, having a severe psychological problem doesn't render you completely unable to express any emotion not of a dreary nature. It certainly makes it harder, but a chronic (in both the long-term and "short-term" senses) sadness does not eliminate a person's ability to find something funny.
Responding on the basis of "said they were depressed" as in this post:
Depression as a mood state is so far removed from depression as a psychological problem that it's only for convenience that they even share the same name. One can "be depressed" over virtually anything and for any period of time - all it means is that your mood is, literally, "depressed" - ie, "you're not happy right now." There is, as I just stated, a very distinct separation between that a mental disorder.
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With regards to case, I agree with the "adult" and "detention then adult" parties. It was premeditated with full knowledge of the consequences with regards to everyone else, and executed by a logical, reasoning individual - ergo, you either treat it as such now, or you stick her somewhere secure until she's old enough for you to do it without people whining.
I question the assessment that she would necessarily do it again, but the fact that she did it for the reasons she did is a pretty strong indication that it's not worth the risk.
EDIT: As an attachment to this, RE: Depression Drugs
While there's a definitely a major correlation between most of these drugs and some rather disturbing violent events (Columbine comes to mind), the majority of those cases have essentially been either "rage" killings or their planned equivalents. She may have been on the drugs, but her actions break the pattern enough (to my knowledge, at least) that I wouldn't say they're a likely factor.
