OT Depression

There are other symptoms of depression other than simply feeling sad. These include:

• loss of enjoyment in things that were once pleasurable
• major change in weight (gain or loss of more than 5% of weight within a month) or appetite
• insomnia or excessive sleep almost every day
• physically restless or rundown that is noticeable by others
• fatigue or loss of energy almost every day
• feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness or excessive guilt almost every day
• problems with concentration or making decisions almost every day
• recurring thoughts of death or suicide, suicide plan, or suicide attempt

Some of these symptoms might be hard to identify (Teenagers are active people, especially athletes, so tiredness or fatigue might be caused by something else). But if you feel as though two or more these apply to you, you should definitely seek professional help.

I know how you feel. While I was never clinically diagnosed with it, my boyfriend has been. People say to talk to your mom but honestly that did not help me AT ALL. She told me I was faking everything for attention and my dad agreed with her. It was my boyfriend of the time that helped me the most. He got me to talk to the school counselor and call someone. I'm here if you ever need to talk to anyone! Honestly, seek out professionals that are trained to help with this. It will make things easier on you. <3

I was clinically diagnosed my senior year but it went on a longggg time before that. I went to a few psychologists but nothing ever really helped. I literally would cry every single day over almost nothing. It got to the point where even cheer wasnt making me happy and anyone who knows me will tell you that cheer is my LIFE. Go to a doctor if you can. Being put on a mild anti depressant was a life changing decision for me! I still get stuck in ruts but nothing like before.


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Good Morning and I hope you are still reading this thread. I have suffered with depression for many years. It is not easy and people, friends and family sometimes just do not understand it. As many above mentined, you need to see a doctor and get on medication, it is not nice when you first start, but it makes a world of difference. This is something I will have to live with the rest of my life, but I have not been on meds since my mid 20's.....I was depressed and suicidal since my early teens and finally got on meds and started seeing a doctor.....The doctor said something to me one day that I thought was really silly, but that one statement got me off meds and I have never been suicidal since, and I have gone through so many major adversities since then and I have sailed through them with flying colors....so I will share that statement with you and whenever you feel like you are feeling down, repeat it to yourself and it will help. It was my miracle and it saved my life many times over......
"Suicide is not an option" this forced me to come up with alternatives to deal with my issues and today an am an old woman with a family, two kids in college, my baby in HS, and yes there are still lots of ups and downs, but I am here to experience it all.
Good luck with everything and no matter how bad things get for you, just try to keep in mind that there are hundreds, if not thousands of individuals your age that are going through much worse......

CEAisstronger said:

I think I may have clinical depression. I had bad experiences at my old school and I was pretty much depressed the whole school year. None of my "friends" cared. My mom got me out of that school. I noticed this year about 3 times I've had "bad events" happen and I got back into that same state as I kind of am now. I don't know what to do about that. Any thoughts?


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Talk to a trusted adult and get to see your family doctor. Depression can be a serious medical condition, and should be treated just like any other illness (you wouldn't hesitate to treat a broken bone or strain/sprain). Please talk to someone


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Alexx said:

So....... Any tips on talking to parents about this? I realize Im over 18 and can go by myself but my parents are the ones paying the bills.

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Your parents will want to know because they love you, not because they pay the bills. If it were reversed, would you want them going alone? They probably have seen signs and this will put them at ease a little. Don't deny them the right to care for you.


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Alexx said:

I have issues with my stomach producing too much acid which causes me to throw up. My mom blamed it on stress for over 8 months before she took me to the doctor and that was only because I was going to fail classes from missing to many days. It looks like at this point Ill have to go by myself anyway since she works until six almost every day.

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Have you spoken with someone at school? Do they know you're sick and not just skipping? Stress is most people's 'go to', but there are other reasons for this. Plus, there are lots of meds out there so you'll not have to suffer! I have all kinds of stomach issues...keep a food journal and help yourself out by cutting out (or at least down on) sodas, fried foods, dairy and possibly meats. If that helps you know what to tell your mom and dr. Acid leads to other issues, so please take care of it! Good luck and keep us posted.


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Please, please, please take everyone's advise and seek professional help. Good luck.

Alexx said:

So....... Any tips on talking to parents about this? I realize Im over 18 and can go by myself but my parents are the ones paying the bills.

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Since you're over 18, if you go to college, your school should have a counseling center of some sort. I know at my school it's a free service for all students and you get an hour session each time. If you aren't ready/still working on telling your parents, then you can go to your schools program. That way you won't go without help while you work on telling your parents.

Alexx said:

So....... Any tips on talking to parents about this? I realize Im over 18 and can go by myself but my parents are the ones paying the bills.

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I understand your situation with parents.. My mom called me a hypochondriac and told me I was faking everything for attention. She shot everything down and blamed it on stress.

TinyBlondie15 said:

I understand your situation with parents.. My mom called me a hypochondriac and told me I was faking everything for attention. She shot everything down and blamed it on stress.

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I feel so sorry for everyone who is going through this. I just can't understand why parents talk down things like that.
I'd be glad if my daughter talked to me (hope this never happens) if she had anything she struggeling with emotionally and we would see a doctor as soon as possible.
There is medication (even mild ones) that can help and turn around the suffering, everyone deserves to be happy and enjoy their life!


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I used to suffer from sever depression in my final years of high school. There was alot going on, many (little) things that all togheter became to difficult for me to handle. People didnt understand and i'm not a big talker about my feelings anyway.
I kept having nightmares, where I was trapped in a box that kept getting smaller and smaller.
When I asked some friends for help, they'd say I needed to be happy and cheerful as I used to be again, but eventhough I wanted, it was impossible and instead of getting better, I got worse.
I developed an eating disorder and tried to commit suicide several times.
after the first attempt, they send me to a doctor who gave me anti-depressants, they never kick in directly so for a few weeks i kept getting worse and had a few more attempts.
i ended up in the hospital, who only wanted to release me if my parents agreed on sending me to a psychiatrist. i got some therapy and other medication.
In the whole process I lost some friends because they felt "I was selfish for trying to take my own life and leaving them behind".

I had a few more years of periods with therapy and medication, but never felt ok and the medication was making me feel numb. I wasnt sad all the time anymore, but i couldnt be happy either.
The longer I was on medication, the worse it got, I had moved and got a new therapist who I didnt like, so I looked for another one who worked on my nerves too.
I also started to feel like I had no control about my life anymore. One night when I was out with friends, I caught my boyfriend cheating on me with this other girl and I was all upset, but not upset like id normally feel. i knew I was angry, but i couldnt really feel it. I was all confused and damaged the boys car. I had drunken some alcohol which made it all worse because my heart was racing and I had hallucinations which were normal if you had alcohol with these meds.
I told my doctor about what a horrible night it was and that i no longer wanted these meds who controlled my life. He gave me others but those made me feel sick all the time.
I decided I wanted another life and quit the meds myself (which you normally shouldnt do!!) and decided to set goals in life. Very little goals though and all maximum two months ahead. This way I Always had something to live for. I also tried to be a role model for others, so other would look up to me and I had to be positive to keep them motivated and not let them down.
that seems to be working well, I wont say I'm all depression-free. i think once you had it, it will keep popping up through life.
I've been through alot of bad things and every time when something bad happends to me again, i know some hold their breath, scared that it will be the trigger for me again to crash. So far I'm doing fine.

I'd suggest you to go find a good psych too and get medication in the beginning untill you get a bit stronger, but keep getting help, dont try it all by yourself. Also try to set goals, things with a positive outcome or go volenteer so you get a positive feeling and know you're doing something good, which will make you feel good.

best of luck girl! hold on!