Let's Talk: Depression

I was diagnosed with depression at age 9. Being young(er), I wasn't entirely sure of what this meant. I just knew I was sad a lot. But as I grew older and my depression evolved, I started noticing more symptoms. Not just sadness, but lack of motivation, fatigue, trouble concentrating, and, my least favorite, insomnia. Insomnia just built on top of my other symptoms, doubling their effects. My motivation and desire to do fun things plummeted and my fatigue skyrocketed, leaving me exhausted 24/7. No depression is going to be the same. Your experience will not be the same as mine, and mine won’t be the same as anyone else’s. I can’t tell you what you’ll feel, or how it will be. Don’t hear me the wrong way. For me, the treatment wasn’t exactly enjoyable. I had to go to a therapist and talk about feelings as well as try different medications that may or may not work. Not my cup of tea. I would much rather bottle it up and go about my day, but that isn’t healthy. Now, as you get to know me, you’ll realize that I’m stubborn as a mule and not one who tends to do things that I don’t want to. So I didn’t. Please don’t do this. I refused to talk to my therapist and my parents paid through the nose for me to talk about my school bully. Because I didn’t talk, my mental health fell in a downward spiral. My parents and my therapist thought I was doing great when really, I wasn’t. My medications were doing nothing, but nobody knew about it. Had I talked, my family could have helped me. They could have worked on my medicine and monitored my mental well-being. But I didn’t. I really screwed myself over because I ‘Didn’t like talking about feelings’. Way to go, me. I started going back to a therapist. I worked out my medication. Life still isn’t perfect, but it’s getting better. I love my therapist. My medicine is starting to work. I would recommend going to a therapist to just about anyone. It might not be much fun, but it really helps. And, you might find it more fun than you think. It’s relieving, having someone to talk to who literally *can’t* share it behind your back. You don’t have to worry about judgment or them talking about you when they get home to their families. TL;DR: Think about going to a therapist. With some work, your depression can get better.