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• March 30, 2009 9:15 p.m.

  It is okay to feel depressed, but having it to an extent can really turn into a big problem. If your like me and have trouble sharing your feelings because you feel no one will EVER understand because their lives are soo perfect, anyone can talk to me any time. I know all of you don't even know me, but i am a really good listener and I can help anu time. Sometimes it just takes a good talking to get it out and feel better. I am suffering with serious depression and have been feeling these symptoms for 3 years now because of my parent's divorce, moving from colorado to arizona, and problems trying to find the right friends. What helps me is getting all my feelings out with devotionals with God. It is hard to stay that devoted to something everyday but it really helps. Exercise helped me alot too. Medications and therapists made everything so much worse.

  - Kristyn

• March 30, 2009 6:02 p.m.

  I guess I've been feeling like this for over half a year now. I have all these symptoms, but when i think of suicide, I think of how my dad would react. so i don't do it. of course not. it's just, i feel so useless and i'm sick of crying at school for no freaking reason. i used to play soccer everyday and exercise since the 4th grade. but this year, i lost interest and the last time i exercised was about 3 months ago, when my dad forced me to run with him. i hate shopping now, i hate soccer, i hate school. there is seriously no reason for me to go to school now; i've already severed any social connections. but i mean i guess i should be thankful for my life, it's not like my parents were alcoholics or divorced or anything... so why do i feel like this? I really don't understand. just wanted to finally express my feelings through words.

  - no name

• March 29, 2009 10:13 p.m.

  i'm 17 years old and currently in high school. i show all these signs, and i feel like i am alone. my family isnt the type that you would go to for help cause they just dont know what its like. i use to be a good student and now all my grades are dropping. i am overweight and physically can not lose weight because my health wont let me do so. i feel like i can never please anyone and always dissapointed in myself.my family life isnt so great, and everynight all i hear is arguing. i lost interest in everything i loved. i feel like i am all alone and my friends just dont understand because were completely different. i have cut myself before and have been reported and nothing happened. its gotten worse, and i dont know what to do. im completely lost, and i feel like i cant ever be found =/

  - jessica

• March 27, 2009 2:13 p.m.

  I'm mean i really just can't take it alone anymore....Please if you have any advice... HELP ME! I don't know how else to ask for help... i just feel i can talk to people idk better especially on here cause you haven't known me my whole life along with my whole family before me (disadvantage of a small town in alabama) and ya'll understand cause you've been there...Please just anyone leave me a comment back..if your there i need you... </3 -Britt

  - Brittany

• March 27, 2009 2:05 p.m.

  i'm 16 fixin to be 17. Life has never really been good...My parents divorced when i was 2 and i was sent to live with my mom. Everything was okay until my little brother was born (or at least i thought..turns out it was never okay). I've been told that even when i was younger i was neglected and had alot of unexplainable bruising. I remember since my brother was born till now though. i could never do anythng right..it was always up 2 me 2 clean & take care of him but if something wasn't "perfect" i got severely punished...my dad helped some bt he got sent 2 iraq so it just got worse..i finally moved n with him bt it didn't help none & now he's on his 4th marriage. Right now i'm convinced my dad has lost it & so me & my stepmom live with some friends of ours. I've been experiencing alot of the stuff on here and i've been cutting for 5 years now....i cry often & uncontrollably & i can't seem to be able to handle nething but i'm really scared to tell ne1 cause people put u down & just take u 4 bein crazy...no 1 seems 2 understand me & even if i talked to some1 i don't think they would realize just how bad i'm hurting... i really don't know what to do nemore...with my life or nething. My closest friends & my boyfriend don't even know how i feel cause i'm so scared that they won't understand & abandon me if i tell them...i've gotten so good at hiding everything all these years that no one even notices anymore.. Just someone help me

  - Brittany

• March 25, 2009 11:36 p.m.

  i am currently 17 and in high school. recently i started to notice in myslef the symptoms of depression and only looked it up now. many of the signs apply to me which makes me feel worse. i don't know, its just that everytime i feel depressed i get mad at myself because i have no reason to be depressed which just makes it worse. nothing happened during my childhood my parents are together, no horrible boyfriend. i used to be a very goos student but over the past couple years my marks have been dropping and i hate it, but just earlier tonight when i was trying to study, i couldn't focus on it. nobody knows that i feel this way and i want to just keep telling myself that it is the way all teens feel but i just don't know.

  - Megan

• March 24, 2009 6:27 p.m.

  i just found out that my daughter is cutting herself and having thoughts of suicide. in the past britt wsa diagnosed w/ disthymic disorder, but the dr. said she didnt need meds just counsiling. did that and it helped. she was younger then now is 17 and showing lots of signs of depression but refuses to see a counsler, because her father ( were divorced) dosent approve, and tells her shes not crazy,and doesnt need some wacko telling her what to do. im taking her to her peds. dr. to talk about all this hoping he will make her get some help. she dosent know that i know about her sucide thoughts or the cutting just going to bring it up at the docs . the other thing is she wants to move to her dads cuz for some reason she wont say why she hates me. but i know her dad wont keep taking her to the dr. for help. i have custody of britt bt if it goes to court .... she is leagally old enough to say who she wants to live with. i am disabled and cant afford an attorney i feel so helpless dont know what else to do ...

  - worried mom neesd help

• March 19, 2009 7:48 p.m.

  hi everyone im nearly 16 years old and i have been diagnosed with anxiety of school and depression. ive been through so many family problems like four of my family members have died and my mum went crazy for two years with drug problems and ran away, ive never actually got over the family member i was closest with who died and i think of my problems everyday,because of my depression i hardly ever sleep so im always thinking of my problems at night when i have noone to talk to because thay are all asleep.ive had thoughts of just walking away from it all and just never comeing back but i dont think that will solve all of my problems.

  - gee

• February 23, 2009 12:05 p.m.

  Hi everyone I am 17 years old and I am a survivor of cancer and attempted suicide i just want to let people know that it may not be that easy to recognize depression like me I was very social at school, i have many friends and i am doing ok at school with an A,B,C average and i was just having problems at home with my mom and dad. My mom believed that i didn't care how i did in school as long as i sqikked by with a C every thing was ok. She said i didn't care in swimming because i didn't apply myself to do more. I did NOT confign in friends or teachers I just kept it bottled up inside and finally i overdosed on my dad's prescription pills. I could have been brain dead because of the serious pills that i took. I was in Nationwide Children's Hospital for four days and then i went to Ohio State Inpatient Therapy for 8 days before i was able to come home. It is not as easy as people say it is to find depression or suicide attempters.

  - Marybeth

• February 14, 2009 10:02 p.m.

  I'm 13 almost 14. Right now I'm kind of scared because I have all of the symptoms. I do go to a therapist though. I was diagnosed with GAD. I don't know why but I always feel really down.... I cut myself but I don't know how to tell my therapist. No one knows. I feel really lonely...thought about suicide once. But I would never kill myself. I'm just feeling really down right now and nothing is helping. What do I do? I'm scared.....

  - Rachel

• February 11, 2009 7:43 p.m.

  My 15 yr old son has everyone of these signs & I did bring him to a family dr & then a crises unit counselor. They only recommended coping strategies. This has been going on since Oct 2008.

  - cheryl

• January 13, 2009 5:20 p.m.

  My parents dont respect anything i do.I take care of my brothers, and i am in honors classes and i have B"s and C" and they ground me and make me feel alone. They dont ask if i am struggling all theydoi is criticize.It tears me apart and ive considered suicide many times.

  - Alexander-15

• December 22, 2008 6:36 p.m.

  Angeltears, I have to say, thank you for giving me hope. I've felt /so close/ to giving up lately. In and out of hospitals, programs, therapist offices, etc... It's driving me insane. The worst part is the fact that it's my fault nothing is working. I am just so scared to try.

  - alexandra

• December 15, 2008 4:00 p.m.

  Dear Teenager- Plesae talk to your parents, doctor or and adult you trust as soon as you can. You need support and someone to help you to get evaluated by a trained professional. We are sorry that you are feeling down, but there is help and hope. You don't have to feel bad- be good to yoursefl and ask for help!

  - MC.COM Staff

• December 14, 2008 9:42 p.m.

  Im only 13 and i think im clinically depresses.Sometimes i cry for no reason.0ne time i tried to cut myself but i dont know,i just couldnt do it.I see that my friends lifes are so much better than mine.My boyfriend lied to me and said he was a virgin then last night he told me he wasnt so now im scared that if we have sex that he will think im bad and brake up with me me.But i kinda doubt it but i dont this is all just really messed up.

  - - Teenager [13]

• November 15, 2008 12:50 a.m.

  My son is 13 and he has had a lot of trouble with school this year. It started last year after my husband had an accident, actually it got worse after his accident. We have taken our son to counseling and had him tested for ADD, ODD etc. They said he's depressed and put him on Lexapro, which I know has not really had time to work. What is so frustrating is that he is so different outside home. He's very loving, caring, and always willing to help. BUT when it comes to turning in or even doing school work he just doesn't care. We are at our wits end with this. Tried everything to help family counseling, child psychologist, psychotherapist. Every night is just a battle between him and his dad.

  - Lea

• November 11, 2008 8:30 p.m.

  My daughter has been suffering from depression for over 3 years, she is now 19. What I find frustrating is that in Canada there is an issue with patient confidentiality which I am struggling with. My daugther has been many different medications and is seeing three different types of doctors including her GP who has a specialized practice with teens. I feel like I am putting all my faith on this doctor. I have spoken to him twice, voicing my concerns as a parent, "Am I doing the right thing?" "Should I be acting in such a way" etc. My daughter keeps everything to herself and all I do is provide a silent reassurance that I am here for her. Where she was once very demonstrative towards me she is now not -- and that is fine, but as a parent, to see your child struggling is hard. I don't understand the doctor/patient confidentiality "thing". Also, thank you Angeltears for your comments - they helped me.

  - Concerned Parent

• October 31, 2008 11:42 p.m.

  Tina I am raising my granddaughter and I took her to a counselor the first week she came to live with us, and she told me she didn't want to go. I told her, it was not an option. She was going. It was a good thing, she tried to commit suicide (her fourth attempt) She is now 17 and struggles, but it is nothing like it was. You are the parent and have responsiblity for your daughter until she is 18. Be loving, but be strong...

  - Gayle

• October 28, 2008 6:41 p.m.

  It is good to see parents writing in. When I was 15 I become severely depressed, suicidal, and anorexic. I wanted help because I was so miserable, but didn't know how to ask for it. My mom finally confronted me about my eating disorder and I agreed to seek help, but by that point it was almost too late. I nearly died and was not expected to recover when I finally went into the hospital. It took about 35 hospitalizations, two residentials, a group home, countless therapists and shrinks and programs, etc... over the course of several years to deal with those conditions and others(self-injury, panic attacks) that came up along the way, but today at age 20 my problems are manageable. I'm happily married and expecting my first child. I'm living independently. I still struggle, but keep others updated when my mental health begins to dip so that I can stay on top of things. I guess I'm sharing this so others can see no matter how bad it gets, we can improve. My mom and I are no longer as close as we used to be. A lot of hurt happened in those dark years. Parents- don't give up on your kids.

  - Angeltears

• October 22, 2008 5:29 p.m.

  I have a 15 yr old daughter that I'm having a hard time with. My husband and I have been trying to work with her by talking with her. She has mood swings, either she's angry and or crying and doesn't know why. I've tried to schedule her to see a psychotherapist but she would not go, so I went. I'm going to try and get my husband to go and hopefully if she see's that we're going maybe she would be so adamant about not wanting to go. I'm hoping that by talking with someone neutral she will feel better by off loading her feelings. I fear if the doctor were to put her on anti-depressants to help treat her because it may make things worst. I'm just so confused and don't know how to get her the help she needs. It's not like I can drag her to see the doctor.

  - Tina

• October 10, 2008 1:08 p.m.

  my daughter was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. She was at a hospital for a week, came home and 2 weeks later the doctor send her back for another week. After that she went to a group home for 2 more weeks. It was really hard to find the right medication, she tried like five different ones, and they didn't work, i was losing hope... and it was a very hard time for the whole family. Finally they gaver effexor 150mg and trazadone 100mg daily. Her depression is less severe and her anxiety attacks got less frecuent. We go to Family therapy with her one a week and she sees her doctor once a month. School is hard for her right now, she is going to start a new school which is only half a day. She used to take honor classes, and she made the Varsity Cheer Team at her high school. But for now we just want her to get better and all that fun stuff she can do again later. As a parent is very hard to deal with your child's depression, but there is a lot of help there, pay attention to the behavior changes, sometimes there not just teenage behavior, some times can be very serious.

  - marisol

• October 6, 2008 3:00 p.m.

  my son has been told he has clinical depression he is 17. Has has gone to my brother is Spain for a while but is still suffering. My husband has suffered from depression since a heart attack 7 years ago and takes tablets but suffers with moaning and anger attacks. My step son hung him self three years ago after being on mild tablets for depression.What do we do he will be seeing a doctor to talk though how he is feeling and the best way forward buti feel i have let him down.

  - katgirl

• October 6, 2008 10:38 a.m.

  Our daughter is now 20, and Friday was her 3rd attempt to take her life through overdose. She is meant to be going to college during the daytime, but isn't anymore - just staying at home watching DVDs or playing computer games or on the inetrnet. She is taking Effexor - has been for about 2 years. Both mom and dad are out working every day, so there's no-one at home. She is meant to be coming home from hospital tonight, but we don't feel happy that she will be at home alone. The hospital syas she will have outpatient treatment, but we know she won't even get on the bus to go. What can we do?

  - Felix

• October 3, 2008 11:48 a.m.

  As a 17 year old girl, I understand what teenagers are going through. We don't like to ask for help, we wish people would read our minds and reach out to us. When people do, it may seem like they don't want to, so we'll push them away. We want someone who is really wanting to help us. We can't help how we feel, everyone needs help these days, we are just to afraid to ask for it.

  - Sasha

• October 1, 2008 10:37 a.m.

  Lauren, Try to get your boyfriend to the emergency room ASAP. He can at least be hospitalized so that he doesn't have any more suicide attempts. The hospital is the best place for now. My husband and teenage son both had suicide attempts--the hospital at least gives the depressed a break from their current spiral downward. A.J.

  - A.J.