im not sure if i am depressed

[sadgirl]

Hi everyone im new and would like to know if you think this could be depression.
I have been feeling really down and crying lots, but i do have days where i feel normal. It takes me a very long time to get to sleep and often wake up a lot. I don't have much of an appetite and so only eat one meal a day most of the time. I feel tired and weak, i often feel worthless and empty and like i will do really bad in life. I can't concentrate much in school and really don't want to do things like school work, which is actually really bad at the moment because i have a test tomorrow and i cant get myself to revise enough 

[lt33]

Hi,

What you described seems to indicate so.
Maybe it would be good for you to check the wikipedia links attached, as they accurately describe various types of depression and its symptoms. There are some self-diagnosis tests in the net but it would be better for you to visit a doctor.

The sooner you get it treated the better, you'll probably manage to overcome it soon and without major problems. Still, you should visit a psychiatrist (or maybe a psychotherapist?) as untreated mild depression often leads to clinical one. Medication and/or psychotherapy should do it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depression_%28mood%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_depression
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysthymia

However I'd like to advise you not to trust psychiatrist blindly. As in everything else there are good and bad ones, and some over-medicate or medicate people who need psychotherapy instead. If you're young, medication must be taken with special care as people under 25 are specially vulnerable to antidepressants side-effects, and your parents attention is a must. (I'm not suggesting you should not trust them and the medication they'd prescribed, just to be aware of that).

All the best,
lenny

[sadgirl]

Thank you for your reply, i have been getting very confused because sometimes i keep crying for no reason and other times im fine and i wish i could know for sure if it is depression or not withought having to tell somebody. I am worried about telling people because of what they might think or say about it, they might think im just being stupid and they could be right.
I have told my best friend but it seems like she doesnt really think i feel that bad or even really care so i don't think that telling anyone else will help. Also i get very shy and nervous when i talk to somebody face to face about things, and i wouldn't know how to tell my family.
Thank you for the links i will see if they have anything useful

[Rocket90]

It could be depression, though we all go through "moods of depression" from time to time.  I would suggest trying to see your PCP and seeing where he/she stands on the issue.  They may refer you to another doctor that deals with issues such as this.

[cheryjeff]

Sad girl...I would be happy to help you with this diagnosis. I am a therapist and have been in this feild for along time. Went into it because of my own anxiety and stress. I love that I can help others when in need, however, I need my own therapist to help me:-) Counseling is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
So the questions.....how old are you>? What if anything recently happened in your life? Do you live at home or alone? If you live at home how is your parents relationship? If you could just give me a little background info. I would be better able to assit you.
Best of luck,
Cheryl

[sadgirl]

Hi Cheryl thank you for the reply.
I am 16 years old. I don't think anything that important has happened in my life recently. The only thing is that i really liked somebody and decided to tell them how i felt but they said they just like me as a freind. I was really upset about it for a while, but that was about 3 months ago and i have only been feeling like this for about a week.
I live at home, i spend one week at my moms and one week at my dads so it is split up evenly. My parents are divorced and my mom is getting married again in August. I am quite happy that my mom is happy again and is getting married, i actually prefer him to my dad lol. My dad told a lot of lies about my mom when they broke up, he said that she dealt drugs and abused me and my brother and had OCD and other ridiculous stuff. I don't believe anything he says about my mom though because i can't remember anything about that and if it happened i would have remembered.
I think that is about it, thank you for your help

[cheryjeff]

Sounds like you have a lot going on in your life. You say you have adjusted to everything but have you really? Divorced parents, one of them telling lies about the other one. Putting you in the middle. Sounds like you could be depressed. Please do not wait to seek help. Depression can be treated and the sooner the better. On the other side therapy is a good idea. It is nice to have someone independent to share your feelings with.
I hope things work out for you and please let me know.
Cheryl

[sadgirl]

Thank you very much Cheryl, you have been very helpful.
I am a bit scared to tell my parents but i have told my best friend and she said she would go with me if i want to go to see my doctor.
I will keep you posted if i get the courage to go lol

[cheryjeff]

I would not be scared to tell you parents. I have seen kids who were afraid to tell their parents and were a mess when I got to them. Trust me....parents want to know. Your parents will be supportive of what you are feeling.
If you ever feel as if you want to hurt yourself. Please let someone know right away!
Having your best friend go with you is wonderful. No one understands us better than our best friends!
Cheryl

[sadgirl]

I used to self harm a while ago but i started to feel happier and stopped it but now i have done it again a couple of times. I don't want to tell my parents that because thay might get angry that i didnt say before or that i did it in the first place, and i feel really uncomfortable talking about things like that to anyone but lisa because she has done the same. She told her parents that she felt depressed and they didnt take her seriously and it made her feel worse so im also scared of that, and of being judged by people who don't really understand.
 Thank you for listening to me complain lol.

[Rocket90]

If you feel you can't go to your parents, then perhaps you can find someone that you feel comfortable with and use them as your springboard for getting some help.  It could be a friend, relative or even someone at school or church.  You need to talk to someone, as it appears that things are not too good over there.  It will do you so much good to get things off your chest and have someone listen to your issues.

Take care.

[cheryjeff]

so you are already a cutter. That means that the sooner you get to someone who can help you the better of you will be. The things you have described to me are serious issues. You are crying out for help that is obvious. Speak to your parents and if they do not listen speak with a counselor at your school.
Please do this.

[sadgirl]

Thanks everyone for all of your help. I heard that it has to of lasted for at least 2 weeks for it to be depression, so i might wait a while and then ask lisa to go with me to the doctors.
Im not sure i would go to at school and i don't like school at much at the moment anyway since even my friends have started spreading rumours that me and lisa are lesbians (they obviously arent as great friends as i thought).
You have all helped me so much because i really wanted somebody to speak to.
 

[lt33]

It took me a long time to deal with some issues I knew to be there (family ones included).
Take your time to find them solutions, if you don't think your parents are "up to it" for now, do seek appropriate help with your friend and tell them later, but do both!
The two weeks symptom apply when there are no other signs (and you know there are some already), so you may skip that one.

Regarding what people say, they do tell lots of lies don't they?... ; ) So, ignore them and don't let them get to you... as humans, we do have this tendency to speak bad of other people when we're not really confortable with who we are.

You're not alone, and having some things to  deal with doesn't make you a "freak", just a person that has things to deal with. And that is normal. You'll feel better!...

[sadgirl]

Thank you it33 that has made me feel much better. You all seem much nicer and more understanding than most of my friends at school. They seem to be the kind of people who are only your friend when it suits them and they don't seem to care or understand how much it hurts people when they spread rumours about them like that, even the teachers have heard it now lol

[lt33]

You're welcome. I hope you're feeling better. Keep telling us how things are, ok?

[sadgirl]

Thankyou, i am feeling a bit better today.  went bowling last night even though i didnt feel like going and it turned out to be fun and made me feel a bit better.

[ladyK]

It sure is hard to be unaffected by the things that go on in our lives.  Divorced parents can reek havoc on their children when they seek revenge.  Having been pulled into that must be very hard.  Try not to be too hard on your dad, he has his issues too most likely.  It sounds like you have pretty good relationship with your mom so trust her to be your support.  Friends are great when it comes to support also. 

You hang in there and hopefully life will look brighter for you soon.

Take care