By JESSICA MENESES 

Vital Stats: 11 – Percentage of teens who will experience depression by age 18.

Source: National Alliance on Mental Health

Arsenis, a Bronx resident living on Intervale Avenue, has been battling depression since she was 13. That was four years ago. These days her depression makes her “fall into a rut very often and think about death.” But instead of popping a pill or talking to a doctor when she feels bad, Arsenis routinely picks up a pen.

She used to be on medication, though its effects left her “trained to think that it fixes your problems when it actually doesn’t, it makes you worse.” Now she “writes stories to try to prevent any bad thoughts from popping into her head.”

For Bronx teens with depression who find anti-depressants don’t work, there are alternatives available. They include sites like Comunilife in Belmont, a community-based health service that regularly offers art and music therapy exclusively to Latina teens from ages 12 to 17. According to its website, art therapy treatment is intended to build “self-esteem, ethical behavior, compassion, integrity, patience, respect, responsibility, and social consciousness.” The process is intended to visualize the trauma and talk about it later on.

Dr. Susan Weinstein, a child psychiatrist assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center, recommends teens who have been diagnosed with depression seek professional help.

“Treatment for depression varies based on the severity of symptoms,” she said. “Patients with mild to moderate depression often do best with talk therapy alone. This can include formal therapy with a social worker, psychologist or psychiatrist, or less formal options such as speaking regularly with a school counselor or religious leader.”

This approach worked for Rosa G., a student at Metropolitan High School in Longwood whose last name was withheld for privacy reasons. When she was first prescribed medication for her depression, she didn’t like the drug’s side effects that included diarrhea or headaches. She also didn’t feel comfortable taking the pills. “Pills got me more crazier,” she said. So she started going to support groups. These groups taught her to “wake up and be grateful for the things you have.” “My therapist says I’m not depressed anymore and I feel happy now,” Rosa said. “When I feel sad I start distracting myself.

In cases where medication is necessary, Weinstein recommends patients stick with meds for “at least six months after symptoms get better before considering stopping medication to reduce risk of relapse.”