How can I find out if I'm truly depressed when I have no help?

@GoshImTired I'm sorry you are feeling this way, you could consider connecting with a listener here at 7cups to talk about what's on your mind. Also, maybe you could see a school counsellor or college counsellor if you are in education as that may help you. I hope you feel better soon! Stay strong

@GoshImTired I'm sorry to hear that you are struggling. As I am not a professional, I can not tell you if you have depression. Here is the criteria that I adapted from the DSM-5. Citation: American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013.

In order to be diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, 5 of the following criteria must be met for at least 2 weeks. At least one of the symptoms must be depressed mood or loss of interest/pleasure.

1.) Depressed mood most of the day for most days. This can include saddness, emptiness and hopelessness. In children and adolescents this can include irritable mood.

2.) Loss of interest and pleasure in pleasurable activities. For example, if you used to love to paint, depression can cause you to think painting is boring.

3.) Significant weight loss or weight gain(when not dieting.) And/or increase/decrease in apetite nearly every day.

4.) Feelings of restlessness or slugishness

5.) Fatigue or loss of energy

6.) Feelings of worthless or inapropriate and excessive guilt

7.) Difficulty concentrating or making decisions that used to come easy to us.

8.) Reccurent thoughts of death (not fear of dying) that can include suicidal thoughts without a plan to harm yourself

In order for the criteria to be met, they must cause signficant impairment of functioning.

A manic or hypomanic episode must never have occured (this means the person has bipolar type disorder)

I'm going to link the YouTube channel of a licensed therapist. She has created many videos on depression that you might find useful. Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you :-) https://www.youtube.com/katimorton

@GoshImTired, if the school counselors aren't being of any help, try the school nurse or one of the administrators and let them know that you're reaching out to them because the school counselors just advised you to "get over it". If you have a primary care physician or other doctor, perhaps you could call their office. Whoever you talk to be sure to let them know how your life is being impacted and that you want help. Take a look at that list posted in this thread and be ready to tell the person you talk to how those indicators are expressed in your life. Be sure that they *know* that you're not just sad or moody, but that this is impacting your life. You could even try the counselor again, or a teacher that you think would be understanding. In the meantime, you might try finding a Listener here at 7 Cups that you click with.

@GoshImTired Tired, Hang in there - this is treatable

EMPIRICALLY PROVEN BOOK

70% of those in group assigned to work through CBT book as theri only intervention no longer qualified to be diagnosed with Depression after only 4 weeks and maintained remission when studied three yrs. later. Non-readers stayed depressed until they too were asked to study book with like responses.

Consider CBT Evidenced Based Book empirically tested in clinical studies = Feeling Good by David D. Burns, M.D.,

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to help you emerge from depression and develop a more positive outlook on life. Feeling Good, is the book most frequently "prescribed" by psychologists for patients undergoing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Clinical studies have shown patient improvement by just reading the book - a treatment known as bibliotherapy. Four (4) million copies have been sold in the United States.

Surveys indicate that American mental health professionals rate Feeling Good as the #1 book on depression, out of a list of 1,000 self-help books