Dear Huntington,

Sorry you are feeling so down. I have never been admitted to a hospital for reason of depression. I have come close, and thought about admitting myself to a rehab place of sorts for my depressioin.
Basically, I have been depressed even as a young child. I always wished the pain
I was feeling would go away. It really never did. My brother and sister felt the same way but had no idea that what we were feeling was depression. Also that was kind of hard to believe.
We grew up in a very dysfunctional home. My father was overly controlling, had a bad temper, argued everyday with Mom and us.
My sister and brother decided to deal or keep from dealing with their unhappiness by drinking by the time they were 13. I was pretty much a loner,
and had no idea what to do about our situation.
I married the first guy that came along when I was 20, and had a daughter by the time I was 23, divorced at 25. The rest is a long story. Maybe someday we can chat about it. Sometimes now when I find myself having a hard time coping, or feeling overwhelmed, I still feel like checking myself in somewhere. At least today there is so much more help available. I find that there is a lot of support here. If you need someone to chat with or pm, I will be there for you. Nina52