I don't know what to do.

Hello i am 17 year old college student, and I believe I suffer from depression, but I cannot go to a doctor. My parents (whom pay for my medical insurance) will not allow me to go, because they believe that drugs or therapy is not the answer. But I can't go on like this, there are days where i miss class because I can't even get up out of bed. There are days were i can't think or become motivated, and somedays i will just sit and cry for a few hours. I am on medication for anxiety, because i would have panic attacks in public places, and while driving (I still do). My uncle(whom i live with while attending college) suffers from Chronic depression, and has dealt with it all of his life believes that i may be suffering from some form of depression. I began feeling the way i do now (although now it's worse) when i began middle school and was bullied all the way through till this year. My simple question is should i see a doctor or are my parents right and i am just some one who can't deal with life like everyone else?

Hi ZetaZed,

I'm a bit confused by your story. You must be seeing a doctor already to have gotten that anxiety medication, right?

As for whether you should see a doctor, I would say that the answer is yes (also, why not?). One reason is that you might have a purely medical or nutritional problem that's dragging you down. If you have hypothyroidism, for instance, you will fill tired and unmotivated. There are actually quite a few possible problems like this.

On the other hand, there are also lots of quite effective things you can do yourself to feel better. I recommend these notes

http://egg.bu.edu/~youssef/SNAP_CLUB/BA.pdf

and this plan

http://forums.psychcentral.com/4262681-post105.html

- vital

I agree, yes, you should see a doctor. Like vital said, there are possibly other physical medical problems causing your symptoms other than depression/anxiety. If it turns out it is depression, your doctor can diagnose you and based on your personal situation advise you whether meds and/or therapy seems to be the route for you to go. Depression is often caused by a real life chemical imbalance- meaning meds absolutely could help. Meds and therapy aren't the only ways to treat depression but they are some of the most common methods for a reason - they are so successful in so many cases. Your parents have absolutely no clue what they are talking about (I'm sorry if I offended you by saying that).

When I was in college I was covered under my parents' insurance but the college I went to also had a health clinic on it. Does yours? If so, you should be able to explain your situation and they can get you an appointment and figure out the best way to handle it financially.

Good luck!

❤️

First to help the emotional healing process, I would explore forgiving those bullies. I did this finally, and said to myself "i accept what they did, and I do not hold it against them" and I felt loads better (after much crying too). I say this bc you specifically mention it, not bc i think it will cure all your woes. Next, since it sounds like it might be depression, make staying healthy and emotionally strong your new #1 priority. Building emotional strength will help TONS. I have 18 years of depression, and I have to be extremely attentive to anything that might disturb me emotionally-such as things I do that might make me more depressed or things I need to keep out of my mind. Thirdly, know that there are a lot of resources for a person treating depression, which is super important if you decide to deal without antidepressant meds for as long as you can stand to. Read all about what it is, read and learn about ways to cope, and don't for a second think that you deserve to feel crappy or should be ashamed-as long as u do ur absolute best, allow yourself to feel happy and confident as often as possible (i know this is not easy/possible alll the time). Also, you might want to ask a psychiatrist about antidepressants when you can, but for now you need to develop coping skills and build that emotional strength and try your darndest to think positively to keep the deep low moods at bay. You're doing great. Hugs

I don't know if you like to read, but I don't, yet I recommend reading this one book that I am about half way through. It's called an The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression by Andrew Solomon. I learned a lot that I wish I knew when I first started battling this sucker. It's entertaining at some points even and very informational. Hope you stay strong and use all your resources to fight this.