My heart goes out to you. I was depressed due to my dysfunctional family environment. Unbeknownst to me, my sister had been molested by the very same man that lived with us (not our father). My mother had us lie about what he did (I thought the lie was about him beating my mom) and that hunts my sister to this day. B_tt hole died several years ago and that has helped my sister cope but she is still dealing with it after 20 years. As for me, while things were challenging - they were not as bad as with her. I did go through a period of depression but found that talking to my friends, having a pro-active approach that I would not allow depression to take over my life and reading have helped me. I could honestly say that I have not felt depressed for over 15 years now. My trick is I stay busy and productive and recognize that the only person that could make me happy is me. The only one that could hurt me is me. So, I enjoy life daily for what it brings on to me. I really do truly enjoy my life but I do suffer - not as me being depressed - but suffer in the sense that I hate to see where my sister continues to struggle and I can't take that away from her. She has to one day let go and focus on today - not the past nor the future. Just today. So my advise to all: love yourself and empower yourself by recognizing your weaknesses and strengths and then focusing on your strengths to counter the weaknesses. Realize you are a human being and it is okay if you are not "perfect" - no one is. And finally, stop blaming yourself for anything. Worry only about your actions - because the only one and thing you could control is you and your actions. Read...what do I read? During my rough times: The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell (actually, it was an interview with Bill Moyers but also in a book format) - I strongly recommend it for those of you that are struggling with your Catholic upbringing and feel guilt and all the common things they teach us. It was a good book that put many things in perspective for me. I am no longer religious but consider myself more spiritual than most religious persons out there. Cheers!