What can I do if I’m afraid to tell my parents about my depression?

I was quite young when I found out that I suffered with depression. One of the hardest things is to tell others about it. They may not understand, or they may think something is "wrong" with you. They are just a couple of things that go through your head. Fear of being judged. I didn't know how to tell my parents! They weren't the easiest people to talk to and they didn't really understand that depression IS REAL. I decided that I would write it in a letter to them! This gave me time to think about how I wanted to word things, and I didn't have to be there when I told them about it. They could take their time reading it, and re-read it and understand what I was saying. But before I could tell them about it I had to be sure that I knew how to explain it to them, so I did research about my depression, and spoke to my counselor about it as well. Telling your parents may be a little scary, and there is nothing at all wrong with being a bit scared. I am now in my mid 30's and I still fear telling people sometimes! You're already brave for wanting to tell your parents about it. Keep your head up high, and realize that there is nothing wrong with you, and that if your parents know about it, there is a chance that you will feel better because you won't feel alone. The two people who love you the most will be able to support you much better, and help you when you're having a bad bout of depression. LOVE AND PEACE TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY.

I remember being extremely scared to tell my parents about my depression. I tried to bottle up my feelings inside and take each day as it came. However, this eventually led to a serious problem, because I wasn't able to talk about my feelings and this started to manifest itself in other ways. I started losing sleep, having general anxiety, losing my appetite, in addition to a variety of other problems. When I finally ended up telling my parents about my feeling of apathy and depression, they were very understanding, because it turns out my father (and his father!) had clinical depression for most of their lives. They were able to relate to my situation and help me understand that it was OK to feel sad, and ended up taking me to a couple therapists who eventually helped me work through and defeat my depression. You don't necessarily have to tell your parents about your depression, because it is your choice. I would recommend, however, that you tell someone you care about (and who cares about you!) and trust, because if there's one thing I remember about being depressed: I felt very, very alone. Nothing hurt worse than the feeling of isolation. Surround yourself with others who love and care about you for who you are, if you can. :)

Personally, I don't use the word 'depression' when trying to talk about it with my family or friends. I tend to tell them that 'I'm not feeling happy/good with myself today' or 'I don't think I feel good mentally'. Your loved ones can usually tell if you display certain feelings, actions, expressions such as fatigue (low energy) difficulty in concentration, eating habits, or slowed movements, etc. as they know you well enough or if it is noticeable. However, it is better to indicate that you are feeling a certain way by opening up to them. It will take time, especially for you to explain and for them to understand. But what I realised is that your loved ones would rather you share your feelings with them than to bottle them up which would only hurt yourself and them even further. Opening up will definitely give you the reassurance and support that you need which best comes from your family!