“3.3% of 13- to 18-year-olds have suffered from a seriously debilitating depressive disorder” (“Depression” 3). Living in a world of perfection and happiness as a teenager is not part of the status quo. The ordinary teenager lives a life of depression and loneliness. Adolescents spend their years trying to affiliate themselves with society. This process requires self-sacrifice and abandonment of those who love them most. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a novel written by Mark Haddon, Christopher Boone is the main character. While Craig Gilner is the main character in Ned Vizzini's novel, It's Kind of a Funny Story. Both characters must find their way in society by fighting their fears and realizing who they are. In fact, Haddon's and Vizzini's novels realistically depict the life of an adolescent using main characters who deal with depression, gain independence, and progress through the Bildungsroman. Christopher Boone is an autistic teenager struggling with depression. Some people think that depression occurs when a person feels melancholic or gloomy, but depression is a long-term illness that affects a person and those around them by preventing them from living a normal life (“Depression” 1). Christopher cannot live his daily life because of his condition. He is unable to understand what people say to him. This is shown when he does not understand his father's joke (Haddon 8). In addition to not being able to understand, he also feels trapped when he is in the presence of a crowd of people. This is revealed when he is on the train and he states: "There were a lot of people on the train and I didn't like it because I don't like a lot of people I don't know and I still hate more if I am...... middle of paper...... resolution is not a downfall, it is simply an obstacle that a teenager must overcome. Works Cited “Depression”. NMH – Depression. National Institute of Mental Health. 1, 3. the canvas. April 6, 2014. Haddon, Mark. The curious incident of the dog in the night. New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 2004. 4, 8, 120, 133, 158, 184, 204, 220, 221. Print. Hader, Suzanne. “The Bildungsroman Genre.” The Bildungsroman genre: Great Expectations, Aurora Leigh and Waterland. The Victorian Web, February 21, 2005. Web. April 6, 2014.Mukherjee, Siddhartha. “Post-Prozac Nation: The Science and History of Depression Treatment.” New York Times. April 19, 2012: 3-4. Internet. April 6. 2014. “The Victorian Picture Novel.” » . Stanford University. Internet. April 6, 2014. Vizzini, Ned. It's a pretty funny story. New York: Hyperion Paperbacks, 2007. 11, 12, 14-5, 27, 136, 148, 161, 168-9, 199, 444. Print.