[ssaturn]

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a couple of years ago and I'm going through of the worst depressive episodes I have ever had. My question is: what is the best way to tell this to my mom? I am a minor and I am at a point where I think without professional help, I will end up making some really bad decisions. I know my question is really stupid but to me it's really difficult to talk to people about my depression. I act very outgoing that's only because of my short manic outbursts. I have problems with honest communication. It is very difficult for me to carry on or even engage in a normal conversation with people who are not close friends. I avoid big crowds or gatherings. Even with my close friends I never talk about my problems. *I don't know how to talk about serious things with my Mom because I have an overly guarded personality. I have not spoken to my father for over a year now after I found out he is a pervert and has been cheating on my mom. I have various other problems like OCD, anxiety (I always feel like I'm not alone even when my house is empty, like someone is watching me), eating problems, and more.
I was thinking about forwarding to my mom an article I found about teenage depression but now I don't think it's a good idea. How should I tell her without having to directly talk to her? How should I tell her that it's not simply "stress from school" or "something every teenager goes through" or "a phase"? I've tried stoping hints about it but she always dismisses my depression as something everyone my age goes through. She always tells me that everyhing will pass when I go to college but I know that if I don't get help now I won't even be able to go to college. My mom thinks there's no reason for me to have depression because I am more "privileged" than other teenagers (I live in a nice neighborhood, go to a good school, come from a good family) but as everyone knows even the most privileged person can be horribly depressed. How should I let my mom know that I need professional help? How should I do this wihout having to talk to her face to face?

Hello, ssaturn. Print your post for your Mom to read. Be brave. I hope you get the help you need.

[justfloating]

Hi ssaturn, welcome to PC

I agree with TheByzantine, your post explains how you've been feeling perfectly and if you're uncomfortable talking to your mom face-to-face, letting her read that would be a good idea. If you want to personalize or add to it, have you considered writing her a letter about how you feel? Enclosing that article about depression along with the letter might be a good idea too. I know how scary it is to open up to parents about depression. I suffered in silence for a long time before I told my mother how I was feeling, and then went a further six months before I could tell my dad. It's REALLY tough.

Remember that it's very responsible of you to want to get professional help, that this depression is not your fault and that you're trying to actively take care of you. You're taking steps to take care of your own health, and it's a very good sign!

Does your mom know that you've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder? If she does, that might be a good lead-in to talking to her about your depression. In the meantime, if you really need help right away, what about talking to a counsellor at school? They'll know how to help you with your depression and may even be able to help you with opening up to your mom.

Good luck. I hope you keep us posted on how you're doing/how it goes.

[ssaturn]

Yeah..
My mom actually knows about me being bipolar but I think she hasn't really fully accepted the fact that her oldest child has a mental illness. It's kind of hard because we live in a very conservative environment where if I "came out" about my mental problems people will shun me and label me as crazy. She has told me not to talk about this to anyone except her, basically. And she's very obsessed with me not messing up my education because of depression and she's very adamant that once I go to college everything will be great like a fairytale or something.. but thanks anyways , I think I'll write her a letter and leave it somewhere where she'll see it.