I feel the same way with my parents. My mother has refused to get me help, she says I'm being "dramatic" . I also feel lonely but I know I have a couple close friends I can go to if I need a good laugh to reassure myself that I really am not lonely, I just give in to my thoughts. My family also refuses to let me talk about how I'm feeling at home. I feel very emotionally trapped. What do you do to be proactive? Do you have any outlets .. maybe drawing , sitting outside , listening to music?

the problem as a mother, and it's a tough one, is that depression can present as melodrama; and that you are what you do. So we can change our emotional state by how we act. To a large degree..

Me? I've had severe depression and also GAD. What has changed between then and now? do I haev a different genetic makeup? No. Do I have different hormones? Probably. anything else? No.

Only understanding.

When we push ourselves through hell by sheer grit something inside us grows and becomes strong. If your mother is trying to raise someone strong, then she's going to come at you from a different space from someone who's trying to make you weak.

I think the danger lies in the fact that when your leg's broken, it's broken. No amount of 'being strong' is going to help. Sometimes we need a crutch.

But your mum is going to try and make you walk without one, because if you do, it will show you that you can. It will teach you something about human reality. She's preparing you for the world, remember. She's not just dealing with today. She's trying to prepare you for adulthood.

I think go tell her what's bugging you. Those things that are truly bugging you; the fears that you have. Not the consequences of these things. Not the story about being dead inside. No. Tell her WHY you feel dead inside. Tell her what's going on in your life, and how it's making you feel. And make sure she understands that she's just here to hear you, and understand you, and get to know you; not necessarily feel obligated to fix anything.

The average person is not well educated about depression and mental illness. To my knowledge they still don't teach about it in health class. So it's going to be up to you to find information for your parents so they can better understand what you are dealing with. You have an illness. A treatable illness. Look up web sites or you tube videos that are designed to help parents better understand their teens depression. And you can always come back here for more support if you need it. Wishing you the best.

So sorry to read this sad post. I'm a mom and a grandma, too. In my heart I only want to see my kids happy. You know what? It's been hard for me to be a happy example. Writing that just makes me sad. How can your parents not hear your cry for help? Depression sucks! We try to hide it, we try to talk about it, all embarrassed that no one understands. I've been there, except I'm the depressed one and my kids don't understand. Ouch, that hurts so much to write about. Can you talk to a counselor at school. Someone outside of your family. Can you try that? My heart goes out to you. Keep writing.