Living with depression
Living with depression can very well be the hardest thing you will encounter in your life. While it’s not fun to go through, there are things you can do about it.
First off, let’s talk about depression a little bit. What exactly is depression? Essentially your brain has an inability to absorb necessary amounts of serotonin. In other words, your brain doesn’t receive enough of the chemical released to feel normal amounts of happiness. This can lead to feelings of worthlessness, lack of interest in activities you once found fun, isolation, sleeping too much or too little, eating too much or too little, and can even lead to having suicidal/homicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm. All of these symptoms (besides the ones involving you wanting to hurt yourself) are relative to normal behavior. It needs to be abnormal to how you ate/slept/felt BEFORE you were depressed.
Now that you know a little bit about what depression is, let’s talk about diagnosis. DISCLAIMER: diagnosis is a very loaded word and can sound scary, but it’s honestly a matter of going to a doctor and getting it confirmed so you can get help. Self-diagnosis is useful to an extent, but it can be a really harmful thing. It can prevent you from seeking help and can keep you stagnant in your depression. I can’t stress how important it is to go to a doctor for a consultation, it can make all the difference. Also, diagnosis doesn’t mean you will be hospitalized, forced to take medicine, etc. Doctors respect you and how you feel and only want to help you. Depression is not a life sentence.
What can you do to help yourself? On top of seeing a therapist (something which I think everyone should do, it’s fantastic), it’s important to be honest with yourself. Honesty is not only admitting to yourself that you are depressed, but keep reminding yourself that depression is not a life sentence. What has happened much too often to friends around me is that they resign to their depression. It can and does get better. You NEED to keep that in mind. Another thing that helps is talking to friends/parents about what you’re going through. It helps so much to be able to express your emotions to people you care about. You will most likely not want to because you feel like you’re annoying them. I can almost guarantee that is not the case. Just like how you’d be there for your friend in their time of need, they are more than willing to return the favor. Things other people find helpful are journaling, exercising, playing sports, listening to music, playing music, reading, etc. Really any fun activity to take your mind off of what’s happening. Also eating lots of healthy foods will make you feel better (sorry for being a mom but I swear it does).
As someone who has struggled with severe depression and has been hospitalized twice because of it, these are all things that have helped me. It’s not a sure fix, but I can promise you it gets better.
Much love,
Andy, 17
How can you get through it when you’re scared of what others think? It’s really hard when you don’t know who YOU are, personally, anymore.
it all started when my mom told me she was disapointed at me and that she wasn’t coming to my graduation and told me that she as going to leave the house. I was allways the happiest and secure, right now i’m insecure and just puttig a happy face under the really sad one benieth it
isadora,13
My Depression probably started in 2015 when my aunts died, ever since they have die, i really haven’t been the same really, I have tried to tell my parents but i just cant find a way to tell them, In school i have a health class and i learned about depression and drugs and stuff like that, And my health teacher has websites where we can learn about drugs, Depression, and stuff like that, my sister has health as well, i never really look at the websites that the teacher told us, i have told my sister about my depression, and i do sometimes think about dying, i have never hurt my self, because i know that’s wrong, anyways my sister went on one of the Websites calls KidsHealth.org i think i was, and she showed me a description on Bipolar Depression, you probably know what that is but it’s where you have mixed emotions, so like you can be really sad and then a couple of minutes later you can be happy, mad, anyways (sorry for the long comment) so yesterday 1|15|17, my friends mom decided to tell me that i couldn’t talk to him anymore… I liked this guy so i was upset, i don’t really want to get into detail because i want to leave his mom privacy privet if that makes sense, anyways so i have been really upset because we used to talk every day, and we talk a lot, i did tell him that i liked him but he is a year younger then me so i gave him time to think about it because he liked me too and he also liked this other girl, anyways, i think that made me a little more depressed. I have Been listening to music and it has made me feel a little better but i just cant get over the fact that i cant talk to him (the guy i like) ever again, and i miss talking to him.. but i mean i guess i have to get over it.. anyways i kinda have to finish the comment because i have to go to bed at 10:00. Do you have any suggestions on what i can do i don’t really want to take medication nor to get a therapist, again sorry for the long comment, and i hope someone can suggest something, i have also tried to talk about my feeling to my friends but i feel like they don’t understand..
Hi Jada,
Thanks so much for reaching out. I am sorry things are so hard right now, and it sounds important for you to talk to someone about your feelings. Is your health teacher a good person to reach out to? I really encourage you to call us at 310-855-4673 between 6-10 PM CA time and talk to a teen about what’s going on and how you can cope. You can also check out our message boards on our website where you can connect with other teens going through similar things.
Best,
Teen Line Staff
the thing is i can’t really seat down with my parents and have a normal conversation with them… we don’t talk at all if i’m being honest.. my friends know about my problem and they’re the only ones helping
Here is the thing. I don’t think that this will ever get better. After 5th grade, the stress of life just isn’t worth it for me. How is there any hope for the future?
Ever night my parents fight, and I can’t sleep at night. My depression started when I was in 6th grade and know i am 14 going on 15. But this girl in my PEE class in 6th grade said this ” I will find you and I will kill you”. That’s when I feel into a big black hole of depression. I thought to myself saying does anyone like me or does every one want me died. so then when my parents started to fight it made me feel more depressed and I always got into the middle of it. I hardly sleep and I hardly eat anything. I don’t know how I am anymore.I also don’t have hope for the future. Please help me.
Hi Jenna,
I’m so sorry things are so hard and I’m so glad that you reached out. I am really concerned about you and want to make sure you get the support you need. I really encourage you to call or text us any night between 6-10 PM California time to talk to another teen about what is going on. 310-855-4673 or text “teen” to 839863. If you are feeling suicidal, the Suicide Prevention Line is available 24/7 at 800-273-8255. Please continue to reach out; there is support and help.
Best,
Teen Line Staff