I dont normally worry about my health, nor do I get paranoid about things, but lately I have felt, odd. I feel really stupid and whiney saying I think I might be depressed (whiney people who complain about their problems are a pet peeve of mine), but I dont want to ignore it. My Mum gets quite depressed at times, she has some sort of mental illness, I should probably know what it is, but I dont. It gets so bad for her at times that it gets her gallbladder acting up and she has to go into hospital. I dont think there is a regular family history of depression, but my Mum has it quite bad. I dont know if this means anything to me. Anyway, I have felt really strange lately. I have only noticed it over the past few weeks, so it isnt a long occuring thing, but I cant remember ever feeling like this, so I have a few concerns about it. I feel really sluggish, it takes a huge effort of will for me to do anything productive. I'm in a gloomy sort of mood, I have a terminal case of the grumps and I dont have an appetite, I am still eating normally though. I just cant do anything, I did some laundry today, but thats about the most productive thing I have done in 2 weeks. I cant even sit down and read, cant be bothered to pick up a book and open it, I even have trouble willing myself to pick up the remote and watch TV. Once I get myself to start doing somthing though, I can get it done fully and properly. I just feel so floppy and tired and useless all the time. I have also been under a fair bit of stress recently. I've hit a slow point in my life, physically that is, not much going on, still a crap load of stuff going on in my head though. I've been trying to decide what to do when I leave school, I still have a year of school left, so it isnt an immediate concern, but it has me stressed all the same. I wont bother going into painstaking detail, but my mind has been wizzing around at breakneck speed for the past 2 weeks. So I am under a lot of stress at the moment, and I am going through a ton of emotional rubbish aswell. The odd thing is, even though I feel like crap, I still laugh and joke around with my mates. It feels strange, being this muddled up mess when I am alone, but being perfectly normal when I'm around people. Again, I dont want to be this whiney hypochondriac, worrying that he has depression, but I just have a few concerns that I would like to put to rest. So, do these curious occurances mean anything, or am I simply worrying over nothing? PS. I have another problem I am curious about. I think I may have some sort of mild insomnia. It takes me, at the very least, an hour to get to sleep, I just lie in bed for hours with my eyes wide open, not even a yawn. I am constantly tired, and there are permanent dark circles under my eyes. I dont know if this is a side effect of the meds I am taking (Concerta), but I have had this problem as far back as I can remember. I'd like to know if I have a problem, and if so, how can I combat this? Plentiful thanks are in order for anyone who has any advice or info on the matter. Thanks in advance.
This misconception of depression is likely due the the abuse of the term in common parlance. The medical term of depression has a completely different meaning from what we say every day to describe feeling shitty; depression is a real disease with real physical consequences. In extreme cases of depression, the afflicted must be hospitalised due to a physical inability to care for themselves. Do not take the word of a pedantic teenager as a disgnosis, but based upon this post you show some signs of depression: One warning sign is an aversion to admit it. An decrease in interest in, well, life is a huge warning sign. That's very common, due mainly to wanting not to come to terms with it. You remind me of myself ... I would say more but I'm even more reluctant than you are. It is indeed a side effect of your medication although it can also be a symptom of depression, so you have at least two factors contributing to it.
The only reason I even bothered to ask anyone is because, as I said, my Mum has pretty serious depression problems, and I figured, is it hereditary? If so, then I would say I have a pretty decent chance of having bad depression, (I inehirited her restless legs syndrome) and I dont mean 'feeling shitty', I mean the actual illness. I might have it checked, or see if it clears itself up. As for the insomnia bussiness, I might take a look at my meds bottle tomorrow, and see if it has any side effects. Once again, I really hate being a whiney guy who is paranoid about his state of well being. Thanks.
You aren't whiney and you aren't paranoid, you're simply being responsible for your health despite how bad you feel in examning a very serious and real possibility. Don't worry about people perceiving you as whiney because nobody should. I'm unaware of any conclusive studies on the cause of depression; it's still quite an open question in many respects. From what I know, it seems that predisposition to depression is hereditary, but not the condition itself. As for the insomnia, here: You can find that line at the start of the paragraph under the green header "Ritalin Side Effects - for the Professional." Ritalin and Concerta are actually the exact same drug, called methylphenidate.
Go to the doctor. Seriously. It all sounds like symptoms of depression. I've had depression since I was about your age, too. So I know what it feels like. It's not fun. And it sort of does run in families. My mom had depression, and what do you know, so did I. And still do. But I'm on medication and I've never been happier! Just took a couple of different things to find out what worked best for me. But yeah, go to the doctor. Tell them your symptoms. Talk to them about it. They'll know for sure. And don't worry, it's normal to feel depressed for the most part. Isn't everyone now a days?
I've had two bouts of depression, and your symptoms seem rather familiar. Loss of appetite, severe lack of drive. And whenever I managed to get out with my friends, I found having fun with them usually helped alleviate the symptoms. I'd say it's certainly possible that you're dealing with depression. Do go see your doctor, and lemme know if I can offer any insight or an open ear. (OK, eye.) Lex
I've had a couple bouts with depression and it ain't fun. Lack of motivation, interests, lack of appetite are certainly symptoms of depression....but only your doc can tell for sure. But, as it was stated earlier, there is a difference in just feeling shitty and having actual chemical depression. Chemical depression is a serious medical condition that is an imbalance in the brain. It can also be hereditary. You could just be experiencing high anxiety (since you said you were under a lot of stress), which there are meds for that as well. But for those be very careful because they can become highly addictive. Regardless, your doc is the only one that can tell so go see him.
I've had similar symptoms for about 3 years now. I talked to a doctor and she said it was depression. I'm now on anti-depressants. If I were you, I'd wait and see if it calms down. Just hold tight for a while man.
