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I hope that if you come to this site, you feel at least some reassurance. Life is messy, life isn't perfect, and I love that there is a place, virtual as it is that can acknowledge this. I don't pretend to be perfect or know everything, but I promise that if you ask me a question, or if I see one and take an interest, I will answer it as best I can.Check out my forum here:
http://www.advicenators.com/talkaboutme.php?userboard_id=41589
to post/comment on a topic =]
advice
how can i stop being depressed.
All i want to do is sit home
and listen to music..and imagine if i was thinner and prettier..
i havent had a boyfriend in 3 years and my mom told me today that she thinks im wasting away the best years of my life
i dont want to do anything..i think my weight is holding me back im 5'3 and i weight 176 pounds..
i have been gaining weight left and right because i dont want to do anything..yeah sometime i go out with friends and with my family..but right now they went to see the miley cyrus movie..and i didnt want to go..my mom said that i need help and i need to snap out of it..but i dont know what to do..HELP what can i do..i dont think i can afford mental help..!
To be honest, the mental health system really is not the only way to help yourself through down periods or depressions (though it likes to think it is). I am not advocating "snapping out of it", but trying out lifestyle/ thought changes that may help. A lot of depression is caused by stuff you do in your own life that makes you feel worse, and a lot of what the "cure" is is figuring out the things you do that hold you back, and slowly, painstakingly reverse these habits.
For example, in your comment you seem to be judging yourself pretty harshly for not having had a boyfriend. A good way to deal with this would be to accept the thought (ie, yeah, it does suck), but to not judge yourself about it (ie, most people don't have boyfriend's their whole life, It's not like I need a bf to be an awesome person, ect).
As another example: your mom tells you you are wasting the best years of your life. This sounds like something you should probably not internalize as all it does it make you feel bad about feeling bad, which really is not helping anyone. (Besides, there is a body of thought larger than your mom that maintains being a teenager usually kindof sucks).
In my personal struggles with depression, I have found that I tend to place unfair expectations on myself and think thoughts that really don't help (ie I'm sad... omigod I'm sad... omigod I have depression again this is so horrible I am never going to get out of this this I will be an eighty year old woman with depression!, ect), and question the validity of my thoughts. I have found that the best way to get "better" so to speak is to talk back to myself (in my head) when I have a thought that is not helping anything at all, and try to be more accepting of my own feelings. I have been through years of therapy, and these have been the few things that help. Also, the book "Mind Over Mood" is a little awkwardly written, but the concepts I found really helpful, if you want to check it out.
As for the weight: have you tried some kind of gradual exercise regimen? Like joining a sports club at school or something? Exercise creates endorphins, which make you happy.
Remember, though - losing weight will not make everything better, and having a boyfriend is nice but won't make your mood suddenly okay. But self love will, along with some hard work and care. I wish you luck.
[In terms of affording mental health - therapists are sometimes covered by a plan that your parents may have and psychiatrists are usually covered by health insurance. If all else fails there are ways to get that traditional "depression" help from other means - pastors, family doctors, guidance councilors, social workers and the like all have the ability to perform therapy services... there are also some online options, if you look for them.]
Ok, I don't know what's going on. I really don't know how to deal with disappointment. I don't feel like explaining the whole thing but I'm disappointed about this thing I was going to go to but it didn't work out. It shouldn't even be that big of a deal but starting tonight, I'm REALLY preoccupied about it. I'm not even nervous about anything just really disappointed. I was like pacing the floors, my heart was sort of beating, I couldn't think straight, I didn't know what to think, I couldn't relax. Now I probably wasn't having an actual "panic" attack but I was like in a panicky mood...over being disappointed about something?! This has happened once before. What's wrong with me? Is this normal? If so, what should I do and what should I do for now on when I have to deal with stuff like this?
You are right that it wasn't a panic attack, but if you are reacting like this on a very constant basis, you should get it checked out anyway.
Remember that this isn't something incredibly serious or unusual, but in any case it feels crummy, doesn't it? Tell your mom some of your anxiety concerns, and see if you can perhaps build something into your lifestyle to destress.
It doesn't have to be huge, but little things, like spending a half hour letting yourself do nothing, exercising, and getting enough sleep help a lot in controlling anxiety.
When you get panicky, try doing something that either lets you let out the nervous feelings, or let go of them. This can really be anything. For example, you could try punching a pillow, running, screaming, drawing, talking to a friend on the phone or writing down all of your thoughts in a journal to let out the panic. Or you could get yourself to listen to some calm music and think about happy things (ie, times when you weren't disappointed in yourself)until you feel better.
If you want more tips, you could see some kind of therapist/ guidance person for more advice. Not in an "OMIGOD I'm mentally ill!" way, because you're not, but in a "do you have any tips for getting me to not panic so much?" way.
Remember also to put things in perspective. Disappointment sucks ass, but there are other good things out there for you, I promise =]
I hope you feel better soon.
i really don't think that my nerves can take it anymore. I'm going to start from the beginning because I don't think you can fully understand the problem without understanding where it came from. It all started when I was about 13 years old. I go to an all girls school and have gone there my whole life. So, yes, it was a big deal for me to socialize with boys, maybe a little bit of an even bigger deal than it is for the average person. I'm not saying that I was boy crazy, it was just that it was important to me.. well to all of us that have been going there since we were little. But, that was the age I started talking to boys. I started talking to this one boy who really liked me. My mother sat next to me telling me everything to say and do, what to tell him, and what not to tell him. I was so mad at her for it, but now I understand. I get that I was 13 and I could have done something stupid, being it that this was the first time I'd ever socialized with the opposite sex. I understand her now. But, her little experiment has gotten out of control. I'm 17 years old and she goes on my myspace every day.... let me elaborate. She is not going on there just to make sure I'm not talking to some phsyco. Let me assure you, my mother KNOWS I would never do that. She's been spying on me for four years.... remember?? I have never drank in my life or smoked!! She knows that. I'm the most responsible person she could know... I'M A CATHOLIC SCHOOL GIRL WHO WEARS KNEE HIGHS EVERY EFFING DAY, HAS ALL A'S IN EVERY CLASS, HAS OVER 200 COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS AND A JOB!! Just so you can get a clear picture of me. My entire room and car is decorated with hello kitty and when i ask my mom to take me somewhere, it's to church. Just before you say she's trying to watch me or something. I may not be talking to strangers.... but she sure does. She goes on MY myspace to CHANGE MY WALLPAPER, CHANGE MY MUSIC, AND REQUEST FRIENDS!! Yes, she requests people that I DON'T KNOW!!
You see, about six months ago, my boyfriend broke up with me. It was extremely terrible. We were very serious and the way everything happened was just awful. I'm not going to get into details, but let's just say it was one of the worst. Anyhow, I had to go to the hospital because the a-hole caused an ulcer. Even before I met him, I always had gastric problems, but it's just that this provoked it to become a little worst.
So, now that a little time has passed, my family was trying to get me back into a social life. They've tried to introduce me to guys, try to take me here and there, and get me in the mood to go out, and I've tried. But, one day I told my mother that I didn't want to date anyone who didn't look like him because I want someone who is something like him. Whatever you may think of this, that's not he point. But, that's what I told her. She went on myspace and requested someone I don't even know just because she thought he looked like the other one. Then, today, when I'm doing my homework, she comes up to me and tells me to go on myspace to show him to me. So, I go and I see him and it turns out that he is the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life. So, I told her thank you for her help, but I wasn't interested. Then she tells me "a-hole and his friend are flirting with these girls from the school next door. So, don't come crying to me later." Let me first tell you that the boy NEVER goes on myspace. Second of all let me tell you that he has FACEBOOK, which my mother got one just to SPY ON HIM!!! Turns out it's private, so she can't see him. My point is, she has no way of knowing that. So, let's just say that after an extremely big fight, she says she was just kidding and that she didn't mean for it to turn into an argument, that she was just testing me to see how jealous or how angry I would get.
I DONT THINK SHE UNDERSTANDS THAT I GO TO A VERY HARD SCHOOL!! The school I go to is ahead and all my courses are college courses. I'm super advanced and maybe I have to work a little harder than her. She has to come in here, while I'm trying to do my work and bother me about something stupid. Yesterday, she did the same thing, and i didn't get any work done because I was too pissed to do anything. I can't handle this anymore. I just finished my homework today, but i know i would have done so much better if I weren't fighting with her every two seconds. whatever the case may be, it's still my personal affairs and I've been very lenient as to giving her all my information. I'm tired of being humiliated like this and bothered when I'm trying to get ahead in life.... why is she doing this?? help me??
She's doing this because she's seeing things completely different than you are. She sees you being miserable with all the work you have to do, she feels sorry for you after the break-up, and now she is trying to get you to be more social, to interfere with your social life to make your life better.
It probably concerns your mother that you spend so much time on your work, and so little time socializing and getting into crazy, sketchy situations (ironically). The only thing to do to get her off your back is to acknowledge this, ie "Yes, mom, I realize I've been uptight about my life lately" and then get her to see your side.
Wait till she is in a good mood, and you aren't totally pissed off at her, and calmly explain how you feel. Tell her that it causes you more stress when she interferes with your social life, and that it does not or will not make you more social. Tell her you aren't interested in any boys right now, but that you will, say, go to the mall with your friend on Saturday.
Whatever you do, you need to make her realize that she has nothing to be concerned about, whether it be because your lifestyle doesn't bug you, or because you are solving what she perceives to be the "problem".
Other than that, there's not much you can do but ignore your mom's annoyingness. Get facebook and block her account from you, if you must use some kindof untampered online communication network, or stealthily nix the old myspace account for a new one that keeps your identity more secret.
Try your hardest not to fight with her; it will only make her more concerned and determined to be involved. If you need to, blast loud music and nod silently at you when she's being annoying and or naggy.
15/f
I recently started taking 5 mg of Abilify (mood stablizer), but i stopped it 2 days ago because I started to feel really anxious and antsy and jittery and restless all the time. I haven't had it since then, but the restless feelings haven't gone away.
nothing else has changed about my diet, etc.
what can I do to stop this? It's like i want to get up and run around in circles but I'm too tired/can't.
Talk to whoever prescribed the mood stabilizer to you. Call them now.
Stopping prescription medicine without a medical professional generally is not a good idea, even if you're not liking the side effects.
Depending on how long you had been taking this medication, you're body will be going through a withdrawal period of some sort. Talk to your doctor about quitting the medication if you wish to do this, so you can do it in a safe way. Keep in mind, though, that a lot of the time with mood disorders, you'll have to try a bunch of different meds before finding one that works.
Hang in there!
I desperately need a way to get things out of my mind. I replay bad memories or moments in my head millions of times a day, I obsess over boys/friends, I can't handle being yelled at, I strive for order, and I get overly stressed all too often.
I have good grades, play sports, and eat healthy. Still I can't help but feel like everything is always going crazy in my head.
What can I do to get my emotions and this stress under control. I can never let go of grudges or let anything just 'roll off my back' Any ideas?
If you are concerned about this, a good option would be to talk to a therapist (I'd include guidance councilors in this, but I have no idea how helpful they are in your school). They'd be able to talk to you, figure out things that are making you more stressed, and help you change these things whether they be thoughts, behaviors, or bedtimes.
Aside from that, something that helps stress is working out a way to let go of your emotions. Personally, I find drawing, writing in journals, and listening to angry music while smudging pastels/singing along really loudly and terribly works for me, but yeah, whatever works for you. Two different approaches to letting go of emotion are either to get really stressed, really upset, really frustrated and then channeling that somehow (art, sports, poetry, journal entries, crying, ect) so it goes away, or getting yourself into a state of calm. For the second one, I recommend collecting lots of songs that are really relaxing and put you in a good mood, and getting into a habit of setting aside a time (say, 1/2 hour) a day where you can't worry at all. Put on the music, take a long bath, and read a book while eating white chocolate. Lie on your bed and just think about things (not worry, though) for a while.
Something you could try, if the worrying really gets out of control, is taking fifteen minutes to just worry. Write down everything, large and small, that's bugging you, bring up everything that you are stressed about. When the fifteen minutes are up, tell yourself that you can no longer worry. Look at your list and figure out which worries are not a big deal, which ones are unsolvable. Let these worries go after this, tell yourself they are not worth worrying about. Then, make a short list with one or two things on it of things you are going to do in that day. When you get worried about everything else that's bugging you, just remember that you are only going to worry about those one or two things.
As for the replaying of bad moments, you're going to blow things out of proportion. Try to step away from these replaying situations in your head to look at it objectively, and use your frantic brain skills to think of all the reasons why someone yelled at you, ect besides the reason that it is your fault.
Overall: one thing to remember. You can't do everything. Everything is always going to be a little off kilter. Once you make peace with this, life is a lot easier to handle.
i am soooo depressed like my parents dont believe they say it will pass.... well that was a year ago and im still depressed, i really need help cuz i cut myself adn do other stuff nothin deadly but things to cause me pain. for depression pills do you have to see a doctor or wat???? not that it would make a differance cuz im only 15 couldnt drive anywhere to get them.....
If you told your parents that you cut yourself and do "other stuff" that is similar, likely they will take you more seriously. It might also do to throw in that they told you it would pass a year ago and it hasn't, and now you would like to seek help. Going to a guidance councilor/ therapist/ nurse that can do therapy can be an important step in the right direction, however, the only way to actually get an antidepressant prescription is to go to a family doctor or a psychiatrist. If you really need to get around your parents, you could always ask them to step out of the room while you speak to your family doctor, and use the subway or some other form of public transportation to get antidepressants from a drugstore. I'm assuming, though, that you want your parents to support you? Approach them when they seem the least preoccupied, and ask them if they have a moment. Then, tell them how you feel, that you cut yourself, that you want to get checked out for depression (and anything else you'd like to tell them).
It's hard, because it's not like a physical disease where anyone can see the signs. You'll have to keep telling them seriously until they listen. If nothing else do what you have to do... and this could mean seeking help on your own through some kind of therapist/ guidance councilor. It's good that you're trying to get help for this. I wish you luck =]
Does anyone have any real, personal sucess stories of how you overcame depression sans medication?
I don't have a personal success story, but I do know a friend who went from attempting suicide to being... well more than depressed. Originally he went to a private school where he was less than loved by the student body, then switched schools, switched out of private school, and now has truckloads of friends.
Changing your lifestyle can help; it often does help a lot. However, this is no reason to have a completely one-sided outlook on anti-depressants. As Rhazie said, they will not "cure" the depression, but give you the tools you need to get through it. Running for for hours a day actually is a good way to combat the disorder/ disease/ whatever you want to call it, but most who have it lack the energy and willpower it takes to do this. That's just something that depression does to you. Anti depressants aren't for everyone and I'm sure people do get better without it, but whatever you are doing, I urge you to seek out the system first for all the extra help it can provide. The first time I did get depression I'm fairly sure the medication one of the main things that was actually helping me.
Otherwise, though, I don't discredit the efforts of the individual to combat depression through changing a lifestyle, making friends, therapy, or working out. It's all those factors together that help you get "better".
13/F
I feel depressed for some reason... All I did today was my normal hyper stuff. I just suddenly feel depressed. Is that normal? What do you think caused it? I mean, all I did was sit around all of a sudden, I'm depressed... Please help...
It is normal to sometimes have "down days", especially at your age where mood swings are quite common; however, if you feel like this continuously for a week or so, and if it's stopping you from focusing, then you have a problem.
If you feel that you are having more than just a random not happy moment, I would encourage you to tell someone, such as a trusted adult or someone who can actually help, like a guidance councilor or your doctor. However, if this feeling hasn't persisted for huge amounts of time, I encourage you to listen to music, or do something that normally makes you feel good, and don't worry about this incident so much.
I just feel like i really am. There were a series of events that just took me out of where I use to be, and I just feel like I've changed for the better. Yet, I'm falling apart. I can't concentrate. I just want to do well in school, but I keep getting distracted because I'm sad about certain things. Another thing is that small little things annoy me, and I get all this anxiety for no reason. Can I have a little advice here please? I just want to calm down and do well in school.
Thank you
The best way to concentrate is to probably break what you have to do up into little bits. Like if you know that you are really going to have a hard time concentrating in a day, and feel like you can absolutely do nothing, do one thing. Not a huge things. Just one thing. Think of everything you have to do, but also go through and find the things that aren't as important/due the next day, and don't worry about them until you can be less worried and can actually focus. Once you have done that one little thing, don't beat yourself up about how you still have so much more to do, only did this one thing, or aren't that great a person. Celebrate. Eat some ice cream, maybe? Make yourself really happy that you did something. It helps to start with little goals. If you start beating yourself up, get a notepad and write down every bad thought (ei, I'm falling apart) and then underneath it write all this positive stuff that will counteract that idea so that you can feel better about yourself.
When you are feeling sad and having trouble focusing, try to do something that makes you feel centered to distract yourself for a bit, to make you feel better. Do you have anything you can do that makes you happy, that you are passionate in? It can be anything: listening to music, drawing, sculpting, writing, horseback riding, running, whatever makes you feel better. Once you have done this for a bit, hopefully you'll feel better enough to do something.
Sometimes, if you get really sad, it's okay to just let it all out, to listen to a really sad song and just cry. If you ever need to do this, don't try to get yourself to hold it in.
Also remember to see your friends, to talk to people. This may help you feel less sad and may also center you. As well, sports often do produce chemicals that create happiness, although it may be hard to do them if you feel like this.
It sounds like you may have some sort of depression/anxiety disorder. This isn't really something to be ashamed of; it's actually really common and often just some chemical imbalance in the brain that is really not your fault. If you are concerned, talk to a guidance councilor or an adult you trust, who can help you go seek help from a variety of different professional peoples. In the long run, this can really help. However, because the helpfulness of these services really does take a while, try to muster up part of yourself each day to get through it, one small thing at a time, and don't ever forget to enjoy the little things that make you happy - the sunsets, the dewdrops, the way the sky looks just after the sun has gone down, even the unpoetic random sparkly object. Everyone does fall apart at some point in some sense, and once it is over you will be all the stronger coming out of it.
Best of luck to you.
Sometimes I feel sad, and think life is not worth living. But I know killing myself won't be solving anything. My question is, is there anything (medicine wise) that can help me?
There are things medicine wise AND not medicine wise that can help you. No matter what your situation, if you are depressed and you want to get out of it bad enough, you will, guaranteed. Sometimes it takes months, sometimes it takes years, but nothing is forever except death.
Life may not feel like living right now, but you want to be around when it does.
It's good that you already realize this, and are already reaching out for help. There's nothing that most of us here can suggest to help you, however, there's tons of meds out there for people in your condition and for people worse off. You could go on google and do a search to easily come up with numerous results. They do come with side affects, but most of the time these are far less painful than the depression itself.
Other things to try (even though you have not asked this) are things such as therapy, or even things like changing your diet or getting a more normal amount of sleep. Sometimes it's just a lifestyle choice that's making you feel this way - you could be isolating yourself too much, or working way too hard without giving yourself any time to relax. It could be, if you are a teenager, that you are more likely to feel this way anyway just because your body is changing so much.
In any case, you need to reach out. Talk to a guidance counselor, or an adult you trust who can refer you somewhere to be counseled and given meds. Remember that there are people to help and medicine more often than not does work. The most important thing, however, cheesy as it sounds, is to believe in yourself. Get yourself out of the door everyday when you feel like crawling back into bed, even if it is just for a walk to the park. Reach out to a friend, someone who can just be there with you. Find something that you are passionate about doing that will allow you to release all of your negative energy - drawing, writing in a journal, anything expressive. Listen to loud, angry music, or listen to sad music and just cry. It helps sometimes to let yourself be sad to get it out of your system. Remind yourself of everyone that loves you and cares about you and all the reasons why you are thankful to be alive, even if it's just a few small simple things, like how the light looks coming through your bed each morning. Remember that you are put here on this earth for a reason; it's just up to you to find that reason and create it for yourself.
I know that in many ways the medicine does help, it definitely does. A psychiatrist can prescribe it to you incredibly easily and it will help you get better. You will need to reach out and take therapy because this also really works. But through whatever process you have to go through to get "better" remember that probably the person that can help you the most is yourself.
i think of everything in a pestimestic way. which then gets me WAYYY stressed out.how do i stop doing that..?
You could go to a therapist if you're really concerned but I doubt you need to.
Another thing you could do which you could do on your own is every time you get a thought that is seriously pessimistic, write it down, and then make a chart, or a line down a piece of paper. On one side write down all of the arguments for that pessimistic statement, and on the other side write all the arguments against. You'll get a much more balanced view of what is actually going on.
Another thing you could try is when you are really worried about something bad that could happen, ask yourself, "what's the worst that could happen if (pessimistic thing) happens?". It's really easy to have a huge horrible feeling of dread in you, but it's easier when you really think of it and find out that what could actually happen isn't that bad.
If you ever get way too worried about all the horrible things in your life, you could also think of people worse off than you. Try making a list of, instead of everything that's wrong, everything that's right in your life. There's so much in life that does go wrong, but hey, you have internet access, you are definitely not the worst off.
If all else fails, pick a period of time to just think of yourself and worry and stress. Write down everything that is bugging you and be completely overly dramatic until instead of stressing yourself out, you laugh at how ridiculous you're being. Think of how someone else would see you over dramatizing everything you worry about. And don't forget to take deep breaths. Sometimes, when you're really stressed, it helps to just lie on your bed and focus on a period of time, real or imaginary, where you were really, truly, relaxed and happy.
Take lots of time for yourself, find a passion that allows you to let out the stress. For me it's drawing, and writing. Stuff like that. If you're athleticly inclined, or even if you're not, lots and lots of excersize definitely helps, as well as getting the right amount of sleep. Eat veggies, stay away from fast food. Hobbies like yoga, meditation, though I've never tried them, are probably worth checking out.
Find something you can do when you get really stressed out... loud music, punching a punching bag, anything.
Overall, the way to get rid of pessimism and resulting stress is to really enjoy and appreciate what you have, which is easier said than done. You'll have to figure out how to do this on your own. It could be taking ten minutes a day to remember all the good parts, trying something new and then feeling good about it, or achieving some sort of goal that's tricky for you and then remembering it everytime you doubt yourself. Or anything I suggested above. Life has a lot of good things and a lot of bad things; you need to find out in your own way how to see both.
I'm really mad right now. I wont get into details but today has just NOT been going my way. I used to be a cutter and smoker. I'm only 15 and I quit both a long time ago and really don't want to start one or even both again. Right now I'm really stressed and mad. Anyone have any tips for me?
kthnx.
It helps (and this goes for anything) to find something that you are passionate about, or anything that is going to take up time, distract you, and make you feel good. For me it's drawing, writing songs, you get the idea. Just anything that you can hang onto when nothing else is there for you. Another thing that helps is venting. Keeping a diary often helps, or finding a good friend that will listen to you and that you can trust and rely on.
Things that help in general are being involved: get a job that you enjoy, join a sports team, volunteer. Being a part of a team does wonders to make you feel accepted and like you matter.
Excersize is also a good one, because it creates endorohins that actually do create happiness. If nothing else fails, just do anything that will distract you. Loud music often helps... or scribbling hard on a piece of people just to get the anger out. Go to a place you feel comfortable just being yourself - for me it's on top of my garage roof. If you are really tense once again, you could write down all that you feel and don't be afraid to be offensive because no one will ever see it. Never tried it but just standing somewhere, anywhere, and screaming at the top of your lungs to get the tension out. Remind yourself that you are stronger than whatever you are going through, whatever you will go through. You are a worthwhile person, too worthwhile to go back to your addictions! You will get through this =]
I'm the same person who asked this question: http://www.advicenators.com/qview.php?q=479017
Well, when I went to see the psychiatrist, she told that I had depression and anxiety but it is a mild case. I'm going to be treated by taking medication and going through therapy. and I was wondering when you tried the medication did you feel better than before? and what is it like during the treatments when you came back to see the psychiatrist?
The medecine actually did make me feel a lot better, though you won't feel anything at first because generally it takes several weeks for it to work. The treatments, well they didn't really make me feel much better. My psychiatrist always focused on my depression, and got me to do stuff like "rate how depressed you are in a percentage" which was annoying because I really didn't know. She also liked to focus on my symptoms a lot which pissed my mom off since my mom claimed all my therapist saw was the depression... which kindof got messy. My advice here is not to take that side of the job personally and to not get your mom involved between you and your psychiatrist. This happened to me and I've been off the meds a lot when I've felt I should be on them...
Otherwise, treatments are ok... one of those things that you just get used to. Overall you should feel better (though I hope none of the drama I went through happens to you :/) in a few months or so. Oh yes... and there is another thing. Even with the meds, there is a lot you are going to have to deal with on your own. My advice is to try a hobby, talk to random people you might not otherwise just to try to reach out. A lot of what got me through all this (which is still so important) is my art. But really it could be anything, so long as it gets the frustration out.
The medicine I can say from experience does help (the therapy I am a litle more dubious on), however the real challenge is always just facing each moment, facing each day in those long moments needed between the time tyou get treatment and the time when you actually feel noticeably different. Depression is tough, not gonna lie. After a year I'm still fighting it. Whatever happens, I wish you luck.
Yesterday I talked to my dad about my depression and how it is affecting me. then he scheduled a appointment for me to see a psychiatrist which is tomorrow. When my mom found out she started to freak out and she told my dad that if i get help then the problem will be worse. then she told me that I was stupid to say anything. So now my parents are arguing and now I'm thinking that it was a mistake to ask for help. Was it okay that I asked for help and what will the psychiatrist do on the first day?
my mom got really paranoid about my psychiatrist, too :( my advice is to take the confidentiality route, and don't freak out too much unessecarily about what they do in the session (I did. My mom got mad and started spazzing. not pretty).
You definitely did the right thing. I don't doubt that for a second. It's tough when your parents freak out: you need to tell them that this is your issue and that you don't want them fighting over it and that you are going to put your trust in the professionals (it's them that know what they are doing, right? not your parents)
I also went to "get help" for the exact same problem! At first I had to go for a half an hour to fill out all these forms, some long answer and some multiple choice (mostly questions like: you feel down or sad all of the time, answer on a scale of one to ten... also questions like talking about family conflicts in the long answer, if you were abused as a child, ect). Then I had to go into an office with a psychiatrist who asked me all these questions about how sad I was, how anxious I was, did I abuse substances or self harm? that kind of thing. After that she diagnosed me ("you have anxiety and depression") and gave me meds and a perscription, as well as referring me to a therapist and booking more appointments. However, they may not put you on the meds... in that case you will mostly get help from a therapist. Therapists mostly talk, occasionally give you strategies or whatever to heal yourself. I find this helps less, but it is nice to find someone to talk to (don't be afraid to shop around because you need someone you actually like talking to lol).
yup. So that'll cover the first day. I wish you luck!