Depression Support Group

Depression is a real and debilitating condition that is often misunderstood by family and friends. Its meaning can range from a prolonged period of sadness to an actual mental illness with specific symptoms. Find and share experiences with others who are going through the same struggles.

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Mental Health
/ Depression Support Group

What is depression

Confused7722
Confused7722

I think that I might be struggling with depression. I feel sad for no reason and the text hotline is not helping. I looked up what depression is and I am afraid that I have it. I don't want to tell my parents and cause them pain, but I want to know how I could find out if I have it.

bridgie101
bridgie101
Google. There are lots of tests. There are two bits to it. Bit one is how you are feeling. Bit 2 is how long you have felt this way. Do some of the tests. ☺
TooMuch
TooMuch
I really hate mental health stigmas. Having depression will not cause your parents pain. Hugs.
Dynamaniac
Dynamaniac
Confused 7722: I'm so sorry that you're struggling. There are times when many people just feel depressed. Having depression, however, is different. It's more than emotion, it's a disease that is very treatable. Manic depression runs in my family. Some people relate it to things like driving a car that you want to go right and it's always turning left. Depression is not something that you can just turn off or ignore. It is important that you discuss this with your parents. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Here is an article that I hope helps. http://bit.ly/2l1V7IX
Community LeaderThePepperMan
ThePepperMan
Your profile says you are 13; I am not sure if that is old enough to get a good diagnosis, but it is worth a shot. Please consider telling your parents. One big problem with depression is that it can "get a life of its own" and the longer it goes untreated the harder it is to treat.

On the good side, there are a lot of other things that can look like depression, but are not as bad as depression. The easiest one of these things is that there could be a single issue that is giving you anxiety, and developing a way to deal with the anxiety can alleviate a lot of the symptoms you are feeling.

But I must stress that I am not a doctor, and none of us are qualified to diagnose you over the internet. (Nobody can do this over the internet, not even a really good doctor!) So getting a proper diagnosis is critical. It also means getting a good physical evaluation, because so many physical issues can have depression like side effects.

I struggled with telling my wife, but when I finally did, that alone was a HUGE relief.

Gentle hugs