Hi StillIntending,

I am sorry you feel unable to approach your parents for support and to access treatment for your Depression. You and your friends need more help than you can provide each other, but until you feel able to speak up in the Real World (or you reach Majority), know that you have unlimited support here. It is no substitute for Therapy with a Psychologist you have a rapport with, but many of us have had years of experience.

First of all, stop telling your friend to leave you. That is simple to do. It is his choice to be your friend and to try to support each other. If he can accept your behaviour, but is friend enough to call you on it, then accept his decision and be grateful for a good friend. He sounds a lot like me, conditioned to suppress emotions and issues. This is not healthy and he needs your support and patience as much as you need him.

I understand the root of these incidents, an overactive mind, constantly churning. Of course, this will be addressed in Therapy and techniques will be discussed, but there are steps you and your friends can take together before this to help. What may suit you all as a Group is looking up and practising Simple Breathing Meditation. It is a very powerful mind clearing and strengthening technique which is easy to get results from. Practising with your friends will promote encouragement. 10-15 minutes in a session should produce a couple of minutes of clarity to start with, which rapidly lengthens and expands into times when you are not Meditating.

Over analysing, reaching wrong conclusions, distorting information and manipulation of questions could well be symptoms of your Depression. You will need to actively work on curtailing this behaviour, but one thing at a time.

It is good that you accept you are hurting your friend, better that your behaviour causes you pain. That shows you are a good person really, just with issues. He will have a limit, everyone does, but you are now in a position to change so you don't push him near that line.

Work on the Simple Breathing Meditation for a few weeks together, then see how you are for moving on to addressing your behaviour.

Dave.
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