Should I get help?!

Should I get help?

These are my answers to the list of depression symptoms. I need to know if I need help.

For the past few days:
* I feel totally miserable and unhappy.
* I don’t enjoy watching movies, or listening to music, or shopping with my friends, or reading.
* I have felt alternately really sad and really numb.
* I can’t remember dreaming (loss of REM sleep)?
* I’ve been sleeping a lot.
* When I hit my low point last night, I kept frantically pacing the room.
* I’m exhausted.
* I’m having trouble thinking.
* I’m having trouble focusing, even though I took my ADD medicine.
* I keep thinking about death.
* My poetry and stories are all really angsty and death-ridden, and have been for months.
* I feel really lonely, even with my friends.
* I have no self esteem at all

I haven't felt like this for long, but its happened many times before in the past. I have a history of depression in my family. I think I might need to talk to a professional, but I don't want my parents to know. What should I do?

You don't say how old you are, but clearly you are at the moment very unhappy and anxious.

Clearly you are troubled by the fact that you might have inherited a tendency towards depression. I would suggest you ask your doctor to refer you to a psychiatrist, or a therapist.

It may be that you are depressed, without actually suffering depression; the two are very different. Some counselling could help; cognitive behavioural therapy might also be of benefit to you.

But if you continue feeling this miserable, and having 'dark' thoughts, then it could well be that you are suffering a bout of depression. Especially if you've stopped enjoying all the things that you once liked.

A psychiatrist will be able to evaluate you properly and refer you to a good therapist; the psychiatrist will also, if necessary, prescribe you medication.

Anti depressants help a lot - really. So do consider them if the psychiatrist suggests this.

If you really don't want your parents to know, then is there another relative you could talk to? Or a friend? Depending on how old you are, you can arrange your own doctor's appointment.

But do think about telling your parents; if there is depression in the family, they should understand your worry, and support you.

If you do end up taking antidepressants, remember they take a few weeks to really start working, and also that the doctor might have to change the dose a few times. If even after that you don't feel better, you MUST tell the doctor and he will give you another antidepressant; this happens to lots of people, so don't worry.

Don't carry on feeling so unhappy; make the doctor's appointment and try and confide in a friend, or one of your parents. You CAN feel so much happier than this - you just need a little bit of help to get through this difficult time.

I really hope you feel better soon.