Depression (major depression)

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• January 31, 2012 10:37 p.m.

  The one below is mine also. Ive taken lots of tests and they all say I have major depression and to seek help immediately. What do I do?

  - Kat

• January 31, 2012 10:34 p.m.

  Im only 13, and I've been feeling depressed for about the past 5 months. So ive been feeling down for awhile for no reason. And now every time I see my mom (we used to be really close) she yells at me for not being happy which makes me feel even more depressed and worthless. She doesn't even tell me she loves me anymore. Also, ive been thinking lately about self abuse. Also, about 5 months ago I told my parents that I had insomnia and they shot me down. So my insomnia eventually turned into what I think is depression, but im afraid to ask my parents about it.

  - Kat

• December 28, 2011 12:08 a.m.

  All the tests ive taken say i have moderate to severe depression, and when i told my mom, she laughed like it was a joke. I think of suicide, but im too scared of death to do anything. im somewhat atheist, and i think when you die, theres no heaven. your just DEAD.

  - tiffany

• December 28, 2011 12:06 a.m.

  If ive been feeling a lot of the listed for ithe last three years (i have crazy asian parents, almost no friends, and been hurt way too much in love) am i depressed?

  - Tiffany

• December 19, 2011 8:36 p.m.

  im 13 and have had score 19 depression for 2 1/2 years. it all started when i started hanging out with this girl when i was 6, she was cruel to me and everyone but she made me beleive it was my falt, she made friends with other girls who were just as mean and she turned all of them against me, as she got older she got nicer but it would take the smallest thing for her to be her old self again. by the time she was 10 she made a group of friends who were nice, i was the loyal friend who stood by her side for all these years. then those friends turned on her. i was loyal so i stood up for her (which i regret.) We made up. a couple of days later one of them died, my best friend (not the bully.) So all my life i have been tormented and then my best friend dies. i have never got over it. from age 6-13 i have had a terrible life, in the last 2 years i have made new friends who support me. but i now have depression from what happened at a young age, i tried to commit suicide, fail. and whenever i try to not think about the ast i do. this has scarred me and yet since i made new friends i have become better day by day. occasionly i get deppression again and have suicidal thoughts but my friends pick me up. I owe my new friends my life.

  - No name given

• December 4, 2011 9:36 p.m.

  Latly I have been feeling really down, I am 13. Last month my therapist said it was possible that I might be getting depressed. I have taken near a dozen online tests and they all say I have major depression. I have all of your symptoms. I havn't toold anyone, I am afraid.

  - Jessie

• November 12, 2011 2:38 p.m.

  i have had depression for 2 years. it is one of the hardest things you will ever go through. it takes over your life. but i want everyone to know that you are not alone. look how many people who have posted something who know what you are going through and understand. life wont always be this bad...this is just a small stage of it. seek help even if it is just from a friend or a trusted adult. talk to someone. im not telling you to just snap out of it and be happy. cuz thats impossible. trust me i know. but just know there is hope. and poeple do care.

  - Allie

• November 12, 2011 2:30 p.m.

  I'm 15 years old (sophomore) and have been suffering from depression since the beginning of my freshman year. At first i didn't know why i was sad & felt alone all the time. But then i researched depression & i had all the symptoms that they would list. i decided to talk to my adult friend because i trusted him & couldnt talk to my parents because they wouldnt understand or believe me. my friend helped me a lot because his wife went through depression while they were dating in high school so he knew how to help someone with depression. he understands. after us talking for several months he told me he thought i should tell my parents but i refused. eventually i told my parents who have blown it off and wont let me talk to a therapist. they wont get me medication. is it because they dont believe me?? or do they just not care?? they have known since May & still havent done anything about it. talking to my friend helps but i know i need more than that. im always screaming at my parents & crying myself to sleep. i think about suicide all the time & often hurt myself. all my thoughts are negative. my friend said suicide isnt the answer but it seems like the only thing left to do..im so lonely even tho i have a lot of friends. everyone says there is nothing wrong with my life..but really nothing is right. what should i say to my parents to get them to help me & let me talk to someone. i need someones help! what should i do????

  - Alexandra

• September 24, 2011 4:51 a.m.

  and i dont take any tablets either

  - bet

• September 24, 2011 4:50 a.m.

  i am just an 11 year old teen i was depressed for 1 year i have suicide thoughts and i dont fear death. i asked my mother is depression a normal thing? she said if you could fight it. and i asked my aunt she said its normal but its like a prison and we are all prisoners. but no body in my family ever cared. my grandfather always argues with me and does not talk to me till i say sorry. that's a big problem in my life. i had no father better not talk about that. i had a pretty hard life till now but now my life is perfect but i cant fight my depression can somebody tell me how? i feel like i am lonely in the world i dont have any friends my family does not care about me sometimes i feel i dont belong

  - bet

• August 16, 2011 12:41 p.m.

  I'm 14 and I think I'm depressed. I was closest with my grandpa, so when my dad told me he had died in March, I was stunned. Ever since, I have self harmed and thought of suicide often. I asked my mom, but she said I just needed time to recover. It's been five months and i haven't "recovered" at all. I need someone to talk to but my friends and family won't listen. I don't fear death, I fear no one will miss me. I feel absolutely worthless in every way. I need someone to listen and try to help, but my family doesn't think I'm depressed.

  - Kat

• August 16, 2011 4:38 a.m.

  Awsome post... As a rule, teenagers or adolescents with depression do not respond to parental attempts to motivate them to think positively. Teenagers and adolescents very often require professional help from a psychologist and therapist to overcome their symptoms. Ruling out a physical disorder, or treating it if one is found, is the first necessary step in helping to relieve your teenager's feeling of despair.

  - newport

• June 24, 2011 1:47 p.m.

  My child experienced depression a year ago. It broke my heart when she told me she had suicidal thoughts. Depression can ruin your whole life. I just told her to think positive but she also needed professional health. I found this article to be very helpful. If you are experiencing these problems you should definitely read it. Here's the website http://eagleranchacademy.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/eagle-ranch-academy-supplies-treatment-adolescent-depression/

  - Rosy

• June 5, 2011 8:55 p.m.

  I just turned 14, and for the last 2 1/2 years i have thought about suicide every single day. lately, i have been having trouble staying awake during school. My mom keeps insisting that its just hormones and im too afraid to talk to my school counselor because she will tell my parents. I did self harm for awhile but i stopped. i freak out over little things, and get mad at the people i love for no reason. im so confused and i dont know what to do.

  - Carolyn

• May 16, 2011 11:14 p.m.

  I think I might be depressed. I am only 16 but I feel so awful about myself all the time. I have stopped spending time with my friends and other people I care about because I feel like I am a burden. I tried to talk to my mom bit she said I was just going through a rough patch and I would get over it. This "rough patch" has lasted about 4 months and I just want it to end. I want someone to tal to who will listen and help but I don't know who that would be. Each day I just pray for something to give me a reason to keep on lving for the next day but I fear the reasons will soon run out.

  - Kate

• May 15, 2011 11:19 p.m.

  I just turned 18 and I feel depressed. I have never felt quite like I have for the past three months. These last few weeks have been the worst. Everytime I saying something stupid, or say something bad about someone I feel like the worst person alive. I sit in my bathroom and cry and think about how I will kill myself. I have decided on a method but I haven't quite figured out what I will use. I think if I had someone to talk to it would help but I just don't know. I can't to talk to my mother because she is so judgmental and that just makes things worse and none of my siblings would understand. I feel like I make people miserable and they would be better off without me. When I get in a fight with my twin or my mother it's like I say the cruelest thing I possible could and I don't even mean to. I hate myself most of the time and I feel like I don't deserve to live. I keep hoping i have a terminal illness or just die so I don't have to show everyone how weak and pathetic I am by killing myself. I need help but I can't seem to find any.

  - Madison

• May 11, 2011 7:54 p.m.

  I'm only twelve, and I feel depressed many days. I tried talking to my parents, but they seem to think it's just because I'm growing up, hormones and stuff... I try to make myself believe that, but at times I think a lot about suicide and how it wouldn't be that hard. My friends are all happy; I really don't think they'd understand or think I really had any problems. Sometimes I hurt myself, but I feel stupid because my life is fine. I have friends, good parents that are together, and all that. I feel like I have no reason whatsoever to feel this way. But I've been getting depressed a lot lately and even stopped writing because I feel it's not important and that nobody wants to listen to me, even though it's my life long dream to become a writer. I don't know who to talk to and I feel alone in scared when everyone at school is so happy. What's wrong with me!? Please help.

  - Serena

• March 14, 2011 8:33 a.m.

  Dear Yara, 24-hour, toll-free suicide prevention service available to anyone in suicidal crisis 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

  - Julia

• March 3, 2011 6:58 p.m.

  hello, i am a young teen and i have almost all of the symptoms above. i need help and i talked to my older brothers who are 25 and 29, my mom, my friends, and my cousins. when i asked my mom 2 go 2 a psychiatrist, she just said no because they have different values than us. i've been really depressed and suicide is like a scar...it never goes away in my mind...i want 2 see a psychiatrist without my mom knowing because i have no more options besides my school but they would contact my parents. i really need help but i have no money 2 pay a psychiatrist. please help!!

  - yara

• January 22, 2011 6:38 p.m.

  Im 16 and at the beginning of my junior year of high school in August,i believe that i began struggling with depression. I haven't told anyone in my family because i know that if i do, they will only brush the issue away or maybe even laugh. i have had suicidal thoughts and i dont know how to deal with this at all. It scares be cause i can go from extremely happy to depressed in like 2 seconds flat. Its like a comsuming sadness and feeling of hoplessness that takes over. I cry myself to sleep sometimes and i feel alone so much that its become like a friend.. i cant really tell anyone but i know that i need help with this. i really do.

  - Alexandria

• January 19, 2011 6:52 a.m.

  Parents need to be open with their children about their risk for depression. I have always told my children they are high risks and talked about exercise, sunlight and surrounding yourself with good friends. There are things you can do to help it but when it is due to chemical imbalance in the brain you may need to take medication just like people do for high blood pressure. Medication is not the cure all. Most of the time counseling is needed as well. I have 3 siblings who had a major depression and I have suffered mild depression. My husband's family would say suck it up and go to work. I tell my husband until you have experience depression yourself it is hard to understand how hard it can be to motivate yourself to get out of bed or call someone. I am selective in who I talk to about my child and my own issues but there are many people out there who want to help you or who have an understanding of what you are going through. REACH OUT!

  - mom who cares

• January 3, 2011 1:40 a.m.

  My 17 year old son suffers from depression.I belive it started about 2 years ago when we moved to a different town. Unfortunally my son does not talk to me or his dad about anything.Every time we would ask him questions we would get a"I don"t know". That made communication really hard on everyone. This christmas his girlfriend and best friend thought he was going to hurt or even kill himself. I found out because I saw his girlfriend crying and ask what was the matter. I wish they wold have told me right away. So far nothing "bad" has happened and my son seems in better spirits for now,but I know that he has to get counceling and get off the meds he has been prescriped. Also,because he does not want to talk to us,we write him notes and leave them on his bed. For boys and men it is very hard to talk about their feelings and other things because they still belive it is not manly to do so. Everybody needs to talk.For some people it is easier to talk to strangers,some prefere a person they can trust. It is also importend for the parents to get help for themselfes. That is why I started seing a counceler on my own.

  - mona

• December 14, 2010 7:07 p.m.

  I am 12 years old and I try to explain to my parents that I am suffering from depression. I know that I might seem a little young, but my parents deny it. They say that everybody has ups and downs, and also that I do not need a mental health screening. I read the above article, and have experianced several, if not all, of the above symptoms. Also, over the past couple of months, I have been in tears and screaming to my parents that I hate them. I am not bullied at school, but I recently was yelled at by all of my teachers and that made me very upset. That day, I told my friends that I was going to kill my self at home, and even pictured myself holding a knife to my chest. I have never been this close to suicide, but it upsets me that my parents don't aknowledge this. Several times before, I have read articles in newspapers or online, and compared the listed symptoms to mine. I took a depression test online, and it said I was at a level 16 depression. I know that not all of these sources are true, but it helps me get a general idea. Lastly, I would appreciate a pediatrician or mental health expert giving me some feedback. I really thank anybody though who took time out of their day to read this comment.

  - Jonathan

• November 15, 2010 10:07 p.m.

  My 17 year old son jumped off an 80 ft. building 8 weeks ago and survived. Only a miracle could have saved his life. He's back at school and has recovered from his injuries. I saw the warning signs but I didn't know what to do. I wasn't strong enough to insist that he recieve counseling. I wish I had. We've been given a second chance but I don't want anyone else to make the mistakes I did. If you know someone who's son or daughter's behavior is concerning you, the best thing you can do is strongly tell them to get help, that the problem won't just go away and that they will grow out of it when they are more mature. It's hard to know what to do and have the courage to do it, but that friend or family member that insists firmly on getting treatment for their son or daughter it may save a life.

  - Barb

• October 25, 2010 3:40 p.m.

  I am 14 and I am pretty sure I have been suffering from depression for about a year, after moving across the country and leaving my perfect life behind. I have so many friends back home, but only one good friend where I am living now. I feel so sad all the time and I really hate myself. I'm crying all the time. Recently, I've been seriously considering suicide. I don't know what to do. I've never been able to talk to my parents about anything. I feel trapped. Please help?

  - Emily