Perpetuallysad -- I'm going back to school in a week, and then I'll be there until I come home for the summer at the end of May. I only have another year and a half of university. Well, for this degree, but this is the only degree my parents are actually paying for. I'm a little conflicted at the moment as to my summer plans because I really do go stir crazy when I'm at home for more than a couple of weeks, but at the same time I really miss it when I'm away because so many of my friends live here. It's weird, I guess I just miss whichever life I'm not living at the time, my school life vs. my home life. You're right about the time passing quickly though. I'm not sure what happened to the last 2 1/2 years went I guess I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm in the home stretch.

Stefano -- You're right. I know my parents definitely want me to get an education, to be happy and healthy. They've provided myself and my siblings with everything we need and more, at great cost to themselves. My dad was complaining about the cost of my tuition the other day and I said, "You know, you didn't have to let me go to the fancy school, when there were others closer to home that would've been more affordable." And all he answered was, "Not an option. You got into that school, we made sure to get you there. That's how it works." I really think that a big part of my dad's outbursts about money are his way of venting. It's not that he resents ME for the cost of my education so much as he worries about affording it. And I get that. I just don't particularly appreciate being at the centre of all that stress. It doesn't help that I have kind of a nervous disposition to start with, and all those nerves can be very triggering in terms of my depression.

Turquoisesea -- I have no idea why I took all this lying down. It's just part of my nature, I guess. I've been letting people walk all over me my entire life, especially, I think, my parents. The only time I told my parents off was last year, when my depression was so bad that I finally cracked and told them there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to worry about things like my grades or the last time I called my grandmother or doing an early summer job hunt when I couldn't guarantee whether I'd be able to get out of bed in the morning. I was just too sick to deal with any external pressures and I was at the point where if something didn't change, I was going to become a serious danger to myself. But when it's not literally a life-or-death situation, I hate confrontations and I tend to just shut down until they're over rather than participate and risk having them drag on. I'll do pretty much anything to avoid confrontations and when they're happening it's like my mind goes blank until they're done. The whole process makes me feel anxious and hopeless, sort of like I'm in a free fall. I'm working on it, but I guess it's just a very slow process.