Do I have depression?
I am nearly 16 in year 11 and haven't been going to school since the end of year 10 due to anxiety. I have been feeling really low because I just seam to be hurting my family, I am causing my parents so much stress that my mum has had to take time off work to deal with me. She cries a lot because she is too stressed because of me. They are constantly trying to help me and are really supportive with everything but I hate myself because it I am hurting them like this. I think that everyone would be better off with me dead sometimes. I feel I don't have anything to live for, I seam to struggle more and more each year since I was in primary school and I don't think things will change at sixth-form or college. I am so dependent on my parents I don't think I would be able to live on my own or get a job in the future because I can't even go to school without struggling. I don't think I would ever want to be with anyone because I would just be hurting them too and bringing them down with me. I think that living beyond this point will only make me feel worst than I already feel.
I have autism and I think that everyone around me just thinks I am being dramatic or trying to get attention so I haven't told anyone how I have felt over the last year. I have only recently started having tutoring sessions to catch me up on the work I have been missing at school, at first I thought that these feelings just went away but I realised they hadn't I was just too distracted with tutoring to think about it. It builds up over the week and then at the weekend I just feel so overwhelmed with all this guilt and constant sadness that I spend the whole day in bed, either crying or sleeping to stop thinking about it.
I spend most of my day sleeping at weekends and when I am not doing something. I tend to wake up when it is dark. Most of the time it's not because I am tired but because I know I have nothing to wake up for, I know that if I have nothing to do then my mind will just think about how much of a burden I am on everyone and how unneeded I am, so I sleep to stop myself from thinking. I have always enjoyed doing creative things or reading or doing something but I haven't wanted to in a long time, all I do is sleep or watch TV because its mind numbing and I don't have to think.
I have really close friends at school that I have been friends with for years who I would normally see at school but I am not at school so I miss out on everything, I still meet up with them every now and then but I feel really left out especially when they are all talking about school or things they have already talked about at school. I think I have been replaced in the group at school just as I was leaving school a new girl joined the group who is really nice but I feel like she is my best friends new best friend now. I feel really isolated.
For a while I wouldn't even go downstairs to eat with my family and watch TV because every time I went downstairs someone ended up upset because of me.
I want to do something so badly to be more independent to help my family but because of my anxiety and autism I just end up struggling and making it worst on my parents.
I struggle to explain things sometimes so this doesn't fully show how I have been feeling.
I have felt this way for a while but it has gotten worst more recent, I want this all to go away but I can't even tell anyone because they wouldn't understand or they would think I am just being dramatic.
Do I have depression?
Hi AmiableOak, I'm really glad you've reached out about this.
What you're dealing with sounds so difficult, and you deserve support. You mentioned feeling that everyone would be better off without you around, so I'd really like to point you
as 7Cups listeners aren't trained to support you through this.
As far as depression goes, here's
a short evaluation that might be helpful. It isn't a diagnostic tool, but might be able to help you get a better idea about what's going on for you.
I truly hope you get the support you deserve.
Sending warmth 💜🌿