[cranberry]

For the past couple of years I have these what I call "mood swings" where I go from being totally happy and fine to in a split second being depressed and wanting to do nothing but cry.
I have a therapist who knows all my symptoms and he doesn't believe me. I'm 16 years old and he's says it's just a teenager thing but does this sound like a teenager thing? Does anyone go through this same thing? I know something is wrong and I just want to know what it is. Please help if you can. Thanks.

i'm sorry that your T doesn't believe you. mood swings are very real and difficult to deal with. i'd recommend that you talk to your parents and see if you can see someone else. that would be my first suggestion. or see if you can set up an appointment with your family doctor and enlist their help. xoxo pat

[soonforgotten]

yes Cranberry I know too well of those symptoms and of therapist dismissing it as a teenager "thing" or rebellion. It is very real.I went through the same thing at 14 years old....I'm 24 now and a mother of 1 and still no one listens to me ( well except here at PC) I'm not too sure what it is, I'm new to PC myself. keep posting
Lisa

[jmo531]

I agree with Fayerody. Talking to your parents about this is the first step. You know yourself better then anyone and if you think there is something more wrong then seeing another T is a smart idea. I wish you luck with this. Please keep us posted.

Hugs,

Jen

[misty]

Mood swings can be caused by many things mentally and physically. Talking to a family doctor would be a good thing to do too.
larks

[obsids]

I had that problem when I was a teenager. I think it is a combination of hormones and depression. I still get that way during PMS. But it is not something to be dismissed out of hand. My mom always just told me to suck it in and that I was just fine. Looking back on it now, I know that I was seriously depressed and also dealing with undiagnosed ptsd.

Teenage thing or not, I think that it is a serious issue. Can you get in to see a doctor?

[Hope4me2]

what the others have said is good...you have ideas to start with...it must be hard for your T not to believe you...so sorry your going through that....this is serious and should not be dismissed as being just a teenager....hang it there....thinking of you..

[jennie]

If I were your counselor, I would wonder why you are wanting to do nothing but cry. Is there something going on in your life that you are grieving? Maybe something in your past that you are grieving?

[Descartes]

A therapist who dismisses your mood swings with simply 'being a teenager' should not be giving advice to anyone. It's the kind of thing parents respond to their children with everyday, not realising that a person of any age can suffer from depression and any number of mental illnesses. It's an unfortunate common misdiagnosis and often simply adds to the problem.

In my own experience it is often termed as a "Chemical in balance", I.E. depression. 'That old chestnut - You might say!

Depression is however statistically more common at your age but it is no less serious than anyone else's, remember, only *you* are feeling what *you* are feeling; it's completely relative. Often you will probably get irritated with yourself, simply because if enough people tell you you're a chicken, you start believing it. My meaning here is, if everyone is saying, "Oh don't mind her/him, they're just being a teenager!" -- Well, you get my point?

Take sometime and evaluate your life. What is it you seek? Often, you won't know. Depression pretty much numbs all emotion, think of it as carrying an elephant around on your back all day; no one would want or physically be able to get out of bed in the morning in that situation, it's not that different. However, you can beat it. I would suggest starting by looking for a different therapist, there are lots of different approaches and some very good professionals out there. You will know when you find the right one as you will just 'click', if nothing else, get yourself a support network, like this forum! You need people and people do care.

[blackdragon]

I understand completely. My mom allways said it was in my head and that im fine. She even said i was a hypochondriac. So her beleif that i was a hypochondriac lead me to suffer with a dislocated ankle for a year due to cartilage damage and to an undiagnosed major depression and manic epidsodes with generalize anxiety disorder. She still thinks im a hypochondriac. talk to your doctor about this. And i recoment seeing a new therapist. She sounds like a quack to me. (quack meaning fony)