I remember once as a teenager when I told my mother that I thought I needed to talk to a doctor she said, "Quit feeling sorry for yourself."

As a result I didn't seek help for my depression and anxiety for years and only after it was triggered by the death of my father.

As an adult, my mother is actually pretty supportive now, but I've always remembered what she said all those years ago and the feeling that my feelings didn't matter, of being ignored and feeling unsure and second-guessing myself (did I really feel depressed or was I somehow making it all up?).

The only thing I can think of why a parent might react so negatively is because they're afraid and they're hoping a little tough love will get you to "snap out of it". Is it something they did or didn't do? They start second-guessing themselves and wonder perhaps if they did something differently, would you still be this way? Parents usually have our best interests at heart and it hurts them to see their children hurting and struggling with issues beyond their control.