[collegekid25]

I don't know why, but I have been feeling so down lately (I guess that's depression though). I'm 18 years old. Nothing bad has happened in my life. I have a loving family, though we're all separated because of college and military. I have two older siblings, one in the military and the other at school. I even have a boyfriend that loves me but really can't relate to what I'm feeling. My life looks pretty good on paper and I find myself every day faking a smile for my friends and when my mom calls I have to convince her that I'm okay here at school. I feel like no one understands this pain I have inside because everyone's convinced that I have to have a reason to be sad. I don't know where all of these feelings come from but they're making me miserable. I need some words of encouragement.

[Mylifeisdepressing]

Hey, welcome to PC! I know how you feel, I have depression and have no one in my life who really understands and who I can talk to about it. PC has helped me a lot though, everyone here is so supportive and they really do understand what youre going through. Hope you find what you're looking for here We're all here for you and understand what you're going through.

[BuggsBunny]

Welcome aboard! Does your school have a counseling center? That might be a good place to start finding some help with this sadness. They can help you determine what kind of help you need, so you don't have to go around feeling sad, and feeling like you have to hide your feelings all the time.

A lot of us with depression (or sadness) feel like we have to hide our feelings, that no one will understand because nothing bad has really happened to make us sad. For me, it can be the silliest thing that will make me cry - tonight's pizza was too spicy, and I cried over it. I felt pretty silly and tried to cover my tears as quickly as possible. If anyone noticed, they didn't say anything. But that's what depression does to me.

As for words of encouragement, Hang in there! This is not a forever thing, and the chances are good that someone at the counseling center can help you get past it. If there is no counseling available, let me know and I can give you some more options. Meantime, don't give up!!!!

~Buggs

[DrFrank]

I think you should consult with a psychiatrist to obtain medication for what is probably a chemical imbalance and to conduct a preliminary exploration for forgotten physical abuse when you were a child.

[Callmebj]

Not to be different with everyone else on here...but being in college, are you getting good nutrition? This could be a diet problem instead of a depression problem....plus coping with the stress of keeping your grades up. Just a thought!

[collegekid25]

Not to be rude, but I know for a fact I have not been abused as child. And I may be a college student, but I've been feeling this way since senior year of high school. Thank you for all other answers and for all of the welcomes! I feel very happy to be apart of this community and I will definitely share any feelings I have with my school counselor

[gafferoo]

I don't want to be rude either, but asking her to explore possibly being abused as a child is a ridiculous starting point.

I work in IT and if someone tells me that their PC will not turn on, I do not immediately start ripping out the guts of the PC to begin with.

Is there something you have been wanting to do for a while and you feel like something is unresolved?

Having a technical mind, I like looking for the easiest solutions first as slowly working into more complicated fixes.