Depression is more than just being sad and helpless.Depression is a medical condition which negatively affects how a person feels, thinks, and acts.Depression is an intense problem that verifies other disabling symptoms,and lasts for more than a couple of weeks. It is a serious health problem that can alter a person's behavior, physical health, appearance, academic performance, and the ability to deal with everyday decisions.
Monday, Novemember 27,2006 was my 8 month anniversery with my significant other. I went to school,and then went home and couldn't wait to speak to my boyfriend. I went on Myspace and saw a message that a girl wrote to me,and I became very upset. Later that night I blew up on my boyfriend,and had the biggest arguement ever. The arguement led to us breaking up,and me getting heart broken. I didn't know how to deal with the break up.I felt like everything in my life was fading away.I didn't know how to handle the situation and went crazy.I no longer felt like I wanted to live.I went into the kitchen and grabbed a knife.While I was walking down the hallway,my mother was asking me if I was ok?.I constantly kept crying...,she went into the kitchen and saw me with a knife in my hand.And, asked me again,Tina? whats wrong,why are you doing this?.I told her that I hated my life and everything was fading away from me.I told her that I wanted to die.As we struggled taking the knife away from my hand I got tired and restless,and gave up.I had no energy,I began to lose my voice and my eyes were swolen.My mother calmed me down and I told her that I needed help.I never reacted like that before.She told me that she was going to get me some help,and for me to try and fall asleep.The next morning I didnt wake up to go to school,I didnt want to stay at home,so my mother called my friends mom and asked her if I could stay there for a week or so.I was so depressed and helpless.I moped around and didnt have energy to do anything.I had so many negative thoughts running through my head.I got help the next day and realized that it wasnt just my boyfriend who made me so depressed,he just made a big impact.I realized that the problems were a test of my strength,and that I can move on and be strong.All I needed was to talk to someone about it,and get it all out.
I am someone who is facing depression and suicide.For the past year I have been very stressed over family problems,school,and other things in my personal life.Its been hard going through this because I really didnt know how to handle it.Feeling like I wanted to die,and just give up,not really having an apetite for anything,having too much sleep,feeling helpless,tired,and over stressed.Hoping for the better when it only felt like it got worse every second of my life.It felt as if a whole part of me was gone,shattered in so many pieces that no one can put back together...,except me.And, I was the one who wouldnt be able to put it back together.
I got help,and am now on medication to try and help better my life in conjunction with therapy.
Counseling or Psychotherapy. Counseling or psychotherapy is something that can help with depression. It includes talking about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a confidential setting. This means that the therapist cannot tell anyone what the two of you talk about, unless you are a danger to yourself or others. Talking with a counselor can help you realize that other people understand how you feel and that you are not alone. When you talk about your feelings with a therapist, you can also learn to understand yourself better.
When you have depression, it is common to see your life in an unrealistic way. For example, you may start to think that you are not good enough, that others don't like you, or that you are the cause of bad things that are happening. A therapist can help you learn to look at these situations differently. Therapists can also help you find ways to cope with tough situations and ways to feel better about the things that are happening in your life.
Therapy can be done in a few different ways. It can be done with a group of teens together, which is called "group therapy"; with a teen and her family, which is called "family therapy"; or alone with a therapist, which is called "individual therapy."
Medication. If your depression is causing problems in your life, or if you feel that therapy isn't helping enough, your health care provider may suggest medication. Depression is affected by the levels of certain chemicals in your brain. For many people with depression, taking medication helps the chemicals become more balanced, which makes you feel less depressed.
A doctor, a psychiatrist, or a nurse practitioner can prescribe medications. There are many different medications that treat depression. If you decide to go on medication, it does not mean you will be on it for the rest of your life. Once you have been feeling better for a while, you and your health care provider can talk about decreasing the dose or stopping the medication. Remember that even if you are feeling better, you should always talk with your health care provider before making any changes with your medicine.
You might be worried about taking medicine for your depression, or you might worry what other people think about it. But many people have found medications to be very helpful. It is very likely that you know and respect someone (like a teacher or doctor) who uses medication for depression, too. Taking medication for depression is just like taking medicine for a physical problem-it is just a way to help yourself get better.
Day Programs and Hospitals. If you become so depressed that you have trouble with your every day life, or if you are having thoughts about hurting yourself, you may need more help than regular counseling sessions can give you. In this case, you may enter a day program or a hospital. In a day program, you arrive in the morning and spend all day in counseling, group discussions, and activities with mental health professionals and other patients. In a hospital you receive professional care all day and overnight. Both treatments are used for teens that are severely depressed. Sometimes this can happen when you first feel depressed, or it might happen if you have been very depressed for a while and things have not gotten better. A hospital is a place where you can get a lot of support and where mental health professionals can keep you safe. People don't have to be "crazy" to be in a hospital. Hospital programs have scheduled activities to help you understand your emotions and figure out how to manage the problems in your life. Often, your family can also get help for themselves or learn how to help you feel better.
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