[hahalebou]

It's been such a long time, that I have no clue where to put this. :/ I apologize in advance if this is the wrong place!

I strongly believe I have been struggling with some mood disorder coupled with ADHD for awhile now. It only "recently" (7 years ago) started wreaking havoc on my academic and personal life. I have tried reaching out to my parents before. They took me to a hypnotherapist for awhile, but I told them it wasn't working. I had to practically nag them to let me see a psychotherapist, and I only had one session with her. My mother claims I said I didn't want to go back (and then never bothered to reschedule when I said I wanted to), and my father simply said "You can't expect a therapist to solve your problems" on the car ride back from my first session. Really, what put them off is the fact that the psychotherapist wanted me to see a psychiatrist. She made it very clear that she just wanted a clinical diagnosis and I didn't have to start medications, but I guess that wasn't enough for them. Anyway, from what she gathered at our first session, she suspected ADHD and/or a mood disorder as well. My GP suspected dysthymia, but I wasn't entirely honest with my symptoms because my parents were in the same room and my GP sent in an attractive medical intern to write down my symptoms and medical history (I know, that was stupid of me!) My GP also said it was normal for teens to have thoughts of suicidal ideation, and really not of any concern unless I made a plan to kill myself. So...um...I wouldn't exactly say he's the go-to expert on mental illnesses!

The thing is, I'm 17 now. I'm graduating early from high school in the coming weeks (homeschooled). I'm starting college soon. I'm barely passing school, because I keep going through periods of sadness and apathy that prevents me from doing schoolwork. And of course when I'm "normal" again, I can barely focus on anything. I absolutely cannot get away with this in college and expect to pass. How do I convince my parents yet again that maybe I need to get some help for this? I need them to drive me, because I would have no other way to get to my sessions. I don't have a license because I lose focus when driving. I do well for a few minutes, but then I find myself zoning out and daydreaming after awhile. Nothing serious has happened, but it frightens me when I notice it. I'm sick of being a space-case. I don't want to make a complete idiot of myself when college rolls around.

Sorry this is really disjointed. It's pretty late here. Anyway, you guys have always been so helpful to me. I just wish I could be as helpful, lol.

[Redsoft]

Do you have a friend that you have told about these struggles, or that you feel could be supportive of you if you did tell them? Someone your parents like, haha - I know that can be a problem for some.

I was in the same situation as you in that I begged my parents to take me to a therapist, a psych, anything about my mental health problems, and they kept blaming it on being a teenager and, perhaps one of the most insulting was: "Is it just that time of the month...?" Oo, still makes me seethe. They were just not open to mental health treatment unless someone had gone through obvious trauma like a death in the family or PTSD from war. It was very frustrating and discouraging.

It wasn't until I was 19 - or was it 20? - that I was able to fully tell my parents what had been and was going on with me for 7 to 8 years. The reason I ask if you have a friend you can talk to about things is because it took the intervention of my boyfriend to tell my parents alongside me, and explain as a third party what was going on and the benefits of mental health treatment, etc...

Perhaps, even, if you have got a medical practitioner that you've had for a while, they can describe the issues to your parents - sometimes it takes a "professional," whoever it may be, for people to listen, sad as it is.

Let us know how it goes. You deserve to get treatment, to be healthy, whole - don't let anyone make you feel otherwise.