Am I Really Suffering From Depression?

Message: Depression was always something I never took seriously. Growing up in a conservative household I was thought depression is what you tell yourself to avoid responsibilities and life in general. I knew it wasn't true, but I never considered that I might have depression. Not until my best friend told me I have been different lately. She explained to me what depression actually was and the more she explained the more I became concerned because it all was starting to sound very convincing. But I'm not sure if I may have depression or if I might just be trying to convince myself I do because my friend told me so. I can't afford therapy either. I hope someone can help me.

Response: First of all, thank you for being so open and sharing your question here. I think depression is something that many people don’t fully understand unless they experience it first-hand. It’s so easy to think that it isn’t a “real” problem, until you feel the effects of it in your own life. It’s easy to rationalize to ourselves that depression is just what “weak” people use as their excuse for laziness. But this simply isn’t true. The fact is that depression is very real, and it can take many forms. Sometimes it can be caused by environmental factors, stress, etc. And other times it is a literal chemical or hormonal imbalance in our brains. Sometimes, it’s a combination of these things. The most important thing to remember is that even though it may feel like it, you are not alone. Depression is a very common problem, and there is hope. You won’t feel this way forever. The most important steps are to recognize the problem, and seek help early on.

I’m so glad that you have such a close friend who cares about your well-being. It’s sometimes very difficult to see ourselves objectively, but our friends and family can help to bring to our attention problematic patterns in our lives that we aren’t even aware of. I want to encourage you to not discount your friend’s observations. It is normal for our lives to hold emotional highs and lows, but if you’re feeling that the low is lasting forever or like you’re alone, drained, empty, can’t get out of bed, un-motivated, etc. you could be experiencing some form of depression.

I recommend that you start by reaching out to a trained mental health professional to talk through what you are feeling. They will be able to evaluate and properly advise you on how to best move forward. Here is a great link to find one near you: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/christian. Please be sure you tell a trusted adult what you’re going through so that they can support you in this process. Your journey is just starting, but I have confidence that you will succeed and get back to being fully well with the right help.

Sending loads of prayers your way!