I'll take that as a no then...

I think thats something that you could work on with your counselor. I understand how hard it it, but think about it this way; if you take medication now, what are you going to be doing to your problems? Really dealing with them? or just masking them? Medication may work, it may change your self esteem but in the long run you will also need to change. Hope that helped!

Many psychiatrists are not very well-versed on the difference between self-esteem and depression. The reason why antidepressants (ssri drugs) work is because what they really do is raise neurotransmitter levels (mostly serotonin). But forget about the word 'antidepressants'. It's really a word just made up for marketing purposes. SSRI drugs and similar drugs such as SNRI's are really 'self esteem boosters'.

They use the same drugs to help people not smoke, to help them not over-eat...as well as feeling 'blue' or 'hopeless'...all of these things are really symptoms of low self-esteem. The better way to treat low self-esteem is to work on the foundation of self-esteem...which is self-discipline and self-competency.

Most people that are 'depressed'...although I hate using that word since there are an infinite number and kinds of 'blues', low self-esteem, sadness, hopelessness..etc that people like ot just use the blanket term 'depressed' for....most people are really suffering from some kind of self-esteem disorder.

The are stuck in a bad situation, are self-sabotaging, they are not handling stress well, anxiety, etc etc. These are all things that self-discipline and self-competency will help you overcome...and without drugs. You just need a plan of action...and then you have to be disciplined enough to TAKE action and do what needs to be done to fix the situation...whatever it is.

The more self-discipline you exercise, the higher your self esteem becomes and the more ambition to continue to move forward grows. that's how it works. it's a form of habit forming in effect where the more productive u are...the more productive u become. drugs can never be a 'fix'. They can at most be a short term 'help' but it is illusory. REAL self esteem and REAL happiness comes from achieving things in life...not a pill.

If you RELY on the pill for too long you will actually undercut your motivaton and be using the pill as a crutch which you don't want to do. I'd use any kind of ssri (forget the word antidepressant...it's not really accurate)...very sparingly. Also, many doctors that want to give out ssri's for everything don't really understand the underlying psychological foundations of the self-esteem conditions that they mis-identify as 'depression'.

Remember...just like any other profession...MOST doctors are only mediocre at best. They usually just follow whatever the drug companies say and they aren't very good studiers of human behavior. Drug companies encourage them to give out pills to EVERYONE because they make money from them. (billions actually). But that's not the answer.

The answer as I've stated is to identify the problems in your life...and take action. That will build REAL self-esteem and you'll be on your way. "pills" are really misleading if taken for anything but a short time so avoid them if I were you unless ABSOLUTELY necessary like if you were on the verge of suicide of something to get you into therapy. Don't just take them to help your 'self esteem'...because they won't...it's 'fake'...real self-esteem can't come from a pill. It comes from your actions.

I think self esteem is something you should work on with out pills. I was told I should get anti depressants but for depression. Pills make you rely on something and it usually takes awhile to find the one right for you, while doing that you can encounter many nasty side effects. You can improve your self estem without medication.

i do not agree with babyface...sorry depression is not similar to low self esteem..im sorry...+(

im depressed for 5 years and i have high self esteem..i always win debates, i was always the class president, I was always the best in almost everything..in class when i speak, an applause always follow.....but I was depressed and I am now taking medications...depression is not all about being lonely,hopeless or blue...etc..
depression is a medical condition where there are chemical imbalances in the brain. pessimism is just a symptom of depression...depression is not all abou pessimism. last year, I was still underdiagnosed and I was extremely optimistic, but though Im a positive thinker, I still have the symptoms that deprives me from normal life...

the best thing to boost your self esteem is to be involved in activities that can improve your social abilities and teamwork.
it works...that is if..you are not really depressed.
have fun and think positive.

caihong - Sorry, I think you're misunderstanding what I meant. EVERYTHING is a chemical imbalance in the brain. Psychiatrists use that line...and many have openly admitted this to me...so that patients will accept taking antidepressants without feeling there is a stigma. Technically, when you laugh you have an 'imbalance'...when you feel pain you have an imbalance, when u eat something good and smile you have an imbalance. The truth is there is never a time when you are really 'balanced' unless you're showing no emotion and feeling nothing.

Ask your doctor to give you a test to see what your current 'balance' is of neurotransmitters. Guess what? He won't be able to give you one because none exists.

The whole 'chemical imbalance theory' that psychiatrists ascribe to is something drug companies have pushed in order to sell more drugs. There is absolutely no scientific evidence that more or less of any neurotransmitter in the brain 'causes' depression.

What you feel as depression certainly is 'chemical' but to describe it as an 'imbalance' is not really accurate. What it is, is the correct balance for the external experiential and environmental history that you have been through. No baby is 'born' depressed'. People 'become' depressed by living in dysfunctional environments where they are not getting their needs met in any of a number of different ways emotionally, socially, physically, biologically.

I don't know your personal life history but I guarantee you that if you 'fixed' the things that were making you 'depressed'...or taking a hit on your esteem which can LEAD to depression then you wouldn't feel depressed anymore.

Anyone that is feeling 'depressed' has something that they are depressed ABOUT. It doesn't happen in a void. I'm sure if you took a paper and made a list of the things that you were unhappy with in your life...many of which might have been going on for a long long time....if you fixed all these things then you'd slowly 'come out' of your depression as things improved. It's not gonna happen overnight but it would happen without drugs as your brain didn't feel the unhealthy situations and pressures that it currently has on it.

For instance...perhaps you grew up without a father, or with an overbearing mother or no friends or maniplative or self-centered parents, etc etc etc. I have no idea of your personal history...but all of these things could eventually lead to what we call 'depression'.

'depression' is really the last stage of a process. It starts out with being a little unhappy with something youre stuck with in life...then it moves to a stage of frustration when it goes on too long....then it moves to anger....and eventually if it continues without getting fixed it becomes hopeless...and eventually despair and 'depression' which is really another word for hopelessness and despair.

If you had taken action EARLY and fixed or gotten out of the situation you were in, in the beginning....then you would have cut off the process mid-way and recovered without going all the way down the line to where you were 'depressed'. Of course much of the time the process takes place when we are kids in dysfunctional homes so it is out of our power to change things too much until we're older.

Now, taking a drug can give you 'fake' happiness. But it won't fix the problems in your life that caused the problem in the first place.

Sadly, the vast majority (not all) of psychiatrists these days are nothing more than highly paid drug salesmen. They don't explain to people the root cause of their unhappiness. They simply state a fallacy and a lie...that it is some kind of 'genetic' chemical imabalance. There is absolutely no scientific proof that any depression is caused by anything other than life experience. Period. Any doctor that tells you otherwise is lying or falling for the twisted logic of pharma companies that send them on free trips and have attractive girls with free lunches several times a week to 'convince' them to give out more and more drugs to their patients.

If a doctor tells you this line again ask him to prove it. Ask him to show you the study, the test, the scientific evidence.

He won't be able to because it doesn't exist.

I have interviewed over a dozen psychiatrists from such schools as Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, NYU and Columbia. In my talks with them they have ALL admitted that the whole theory of treating depression with medication is something that pharmaceutical companies generated.

Now, be clear. I and nobody else is saying you aren't feeling sad, hopeless, depressed etc. That's not my point. My point is that while all your emotions are of course caused by different levels of different neurotransmitters, brain structure, electrical and chemical activity in your head...it is wrong to call this an imbalance. The way to 'fix' it permanently is not drugs. You need to ACTIVELY identify all the long-standing issues in your life...many of which you might not even be aware of...and fix them. You also have to take care of yourself physically.

For instance if you are heavy or don't exercise...then that could be contributing to your problem as well. Many overweight people are 'depressed' because they have battled with self discipline and weight problems for most of their lives. This has caused them to have lower self-esteem, the inability to feel good about themselves, the inability to date who they felt they wanted because of attraction reasons, made them insecure, the target of jokes as children, loneliness, ostracism, etc etc etc.

ALL these things can eventually lead the person to lower and lower states of self esteem and self worth, frustration, anger, hopelessness and eventually to depression.

I know your intentions are to get yourself feeling better but your statements that you were class president, win debates etc...they really have nothing to do with self esteem. Look at Bill Clinton...he was president of the united states yet had major self esteem issues, so much so that he needed validation by fooling around on a young girl behind his wife's back...a form of self sabotage....which comes from low self-worth

I think the problem is that you and I have different definitions of what self-esteem is. I am using a definition which might be more closely tied with 'self-worth' but which is what the original definition by such psychiatrists back in the time of Freud such as Adler used.

Today, people think self-esteem is simply momentary feelings of pride, joy or even arrogance. That is not real self-esteem. That is fleeting. Real self-esteem is a much DEEPER thing. Perhaps I should use Self-Worth in order to differentiate it for general discussion.

Either way, good luck and I certainly hope you figure out what treatment is right for you. Just remember that if you do choose to use drugs, don't let it turn into a crutch. Self-esteem really does from your actions and self discipline and self competency. Drugs can't do that for you so they'd only be a 'fake' fix that you shouldn't rely on for long.

I write about Self-Esteem, Self-Awareness and similar subjects on my site www.SelfAwareness101.com if you'd like to discuss further.

..but the meds are bringing me back to life.

Caihong, if the responses here are making you feel bad, just remember that you DON'T have to respond to this.

babyfacemagee, you have every right to say what you think self-esteem really is. Just a warning though, be careful. Not everyone will agree with you, and other may get offended.

Anyway, I wasn't on meds for self-esteem, only for depression. Meds never worked for me at all so my opinion won't be of much help here.

Thanks for this post. Depression is a serious illness that affects adolescents just like it does adults. Ive found Silver Hill Hospitals website to be a useful source of information about treatments for Adolescent depression.

Thanks for this post. Depression is a serious illness that affects adolescents just like it does adults. Ive found Silver Hill Hospitals website to be a useful source of information about treatments for Adolescent depression.

Ask your parents to take you to a doctor because you want to "have a check up" and to see if everythings ok. When your there tell your doctor you want to get depression pills. Tell your doctor how you feel. That's the only way you will start to feel better. And i'm sure your doctor can perscribe you with depression medecation.

that's weird..she thinks you're not depressed but she wants you to take anti-depressants...what the?
and by the way, you know BETTER than her, because it's your life, and it's your feelings. You are the only one that can define your own feelings. No one else would know better about what you feel than you yourself. Low self esteem should not be treated with medication. It is just a character/attitude problem and it can be corrected with therapy. You don't need medications for low self esteem...what you need is an activity that will boost your confidence and give you better self esteem.