Depression help?

[Nexttonormal]

Hey, I'm a female, 14 years old. Recently I've noticed a few changes in me and am wondering if I have depression, and how to deal with it. For example, about a year ago, I was a really sporty person. I loved running, netball, rock climbing, tennis and swimming. Now I can't see the enjoyment in any of those, and have given them all up. Also, I was bullied when I was 13 and started self harming. Now I'm having extreme suicidal thoughts. I am finding it increasingly difficult to get to sleep at night. I prefer to be alone in my room all day and cry at random times for no reason. How do I begin to talk to my parents about this?

[Rivière]

Unfortunately we can't diagnose you as we're not professionals, however, it may be a good idea for you to see if you can visit your GP and ask them for some help. This way they can help diagnose you with depression properly and they can also help guide you to someone who specialises in working with young people or even a counsellor. Counsellors are very good in letting us talk about our problems and helping us to work through any of the issues we have in our life. As you're looking to tell your parents, make sure your parents are free and aren't stressed with anything, ask if you could sit with them and talk to them about something which is very important and serious. This will give them forewarning instead of just dumping it on them unexpectedly. As they then know you're wanting to talk to them about something important, they'll take you more seriously too. If you do find this method to be difficult you can always write them a letter. Write all your thoughts and feelings in it, even ask them if they'd support you in taking you to a doctor to help you get help for yourself. If you don't want to do that either, if you have a close friend, if they don't know, talk to them about it first. This way at least you'll have some form of support and then you could ask them to talk to your parents about your situation for you because you're unsure of how to talk to them about your issues and how you've been feeling. You could even try emailing your parents if you know their email addresses. Some people find it's much better to read things rather than listen. It all depends on which your most comfortable with and which method you feel they'll understand from the most.

If you're looking for more support into your low moods, suicidal thoughts and such, take a look here: http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f11-d...o-can-help-me/ It's a link on the various options available to you to help you get yourself helped.

When feeling low it's natural to lose interest in the things we once enjoyed. I was like that too when I was growing up. I enjoyed all sorts of things but then after depression took hold I lost interest in them, lost my motivation and I felt like everything I did just didn't give me any pleasure. Sometimes it can be a matter of exploring something new. Trying out new things can help reactivate our minds and give us something new to focus on rather than the same old things we've been doing for so long. A change of scenery can help. It can be anything from going for a walk, playing games, reading, writing blogs or poetry, photography and much more. Find a way you distract yourself so that you're less focussed on the negativity you're feeling and thinking and this way, those negative thoughts and feelings will subside and you'll begin enjoying your hobbies and interests a little more than you're currently doing. Here's a link on reasons to live: http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f11-d...-reasons-live/ It's an excellent list which gives you so many reasons not to commit suicide, so many reasons to be alive. It's a very good list!

You said you'd also started self-harming. Sometimes when the pain inside of us is too great, we tend to self-harm to release this pain. Self-harming in itself is an expression of pain. While early on in your life it may be a good idea to find alternatives to self-harming, you can find a great many here: http://www.teenhelp.org/forums/f12-s...ves-self-harm/ This list can also be used to help you distract yourself from your negative thoughts and feelings too.

Remember that you are a strong individual. You've come this far in life, it would be a shame for you to choose to end it after you've done so well in remaining in it. I know it's harder to do than saying but, stay positive. Look at the brighter things in life. Think of the things you enjoy and love. Think about the people you care about and the people who care about you. They're very good reasons for you to continue living. Remember that you can't get relief for your suffering if you're dead, you must be alive to get help and feel relief for your pain. Teach yourself to stay positive, say things to yourself such as, "I can do this!" "I will get through this!" The more you repeat to yourself these words the more you'll believe it and already you're on the road to recovery because you've chosen to help yourself.

Hey there,

As stated we are not professionals and cannot diagnose you. It does sound like you are struggling though and I am glad you are considering telling your parents. That is a great step to be taking. I think your parents will be able to help you work on getting the help you need to work on getting to a better place.

Telling people that you are struggling with things like self harm and, possibly, depression, can be really hard but it can be beneficial as well. If you want to talk to them face to face you can start out by telling them some of the things you have been dealing with and then start talking to them about your self harm. If you would feel comfortable you could also print out some informational material about self harm so that they could read through it if they are feeling confused about anything. I know that reading information about self harm helped my parents when they found out I was self harming. If you are unsure how you would phrase everything you could try writing it down so you could get a better idea of what you would like to say. If you don't think you could have the discussion face to face you could always write a letter to them and put it somewhere that they will be sure to get it.

Something that could help with your low moods is trying to get out and do things. I know that can be hard but keeping yourself locked in your room is more likely to make yourself feel lower. So, try and put aside a certain amount of time each day that you try and get out of the house; the more time the better. Try and participate in activities that you like even if you don't necessarily feel like doing those activities it could help to force yourself. Sometimes when you are feeling low you have to force yourself to do things and the more you do it the better you might start feeling.

Do you know what is causing you to feel low and want to self harm? I think it is really important for you to work on figuring out what your triggers are. I think one thing that can be really helpful in figuring out your triggers is keeping a journal and whenever you are feeling the urge to harm yourself you can write down what is going on.

Would you ever consider going to counseling? I know that can be a big step to take but it could prove to be really beneficial in helping you overcome all of this. A counselor can help you work on figuring out what your triggers are, give you someone to talk to and help you work on finding healthy coping skills to deal with everything.

Lastly, I think you should definitely look into the alternatives that Sarah gave you. At first it might seem as though your body does not want to accept them but if you keep turning to them your body can adjust to them.

I really hope this helped and if you need anything please feel free to message me.