Could I be suffering from clinical depression? (Note: I'm serious.)
 

Well, as I've said before, I have been suicidal.
For some reason, usually every two or three months, I get a really down period, where I usually feel really depressed. Today was the day it started.
I checked up on wikipedia on some things about depression, psychosis, emotional disorders, etc.
I found out I've got some of the symptoms of clinical depression.

According to the DSM-IV-TR criteria for diagnosing a major depressive disorder (cautionary statement) one of the following two elements must be present for a period of at least two weeks:
Depressed mood, or
Anhedonia

It is sufficient to have either of these symptoms in conjunction with five of a list of other symptoms over a two-week period. These include:
Feelings of overwhelming sadness and/or fear, or the seeming inability to feel emotion (emptiness).
A decrease in the amount of interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, daily activities.
Changing appetite and marked weight gain or loss.
Disturbed sleep patterns, such as insomnia, loss of REM sleep, or excessive sleep (Hypersomnia).
Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day.
Fatigue, mental or physical, also loss of energy.
Intense feelings of guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness, isolation/loneliness and/or anxiety.
Trouble concentrating, keeping focus or making decisions or a generalized slowing and obtunding of cognition, including memory.
Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), desire to just "lay down and die" or "stop breathing", recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.
Feeling and/or fear of being abandoned by those close to one.



Now that's just some of the symptoms, I'm going to check through more of them and edit back.
The bolds are the ones I have.
I'm sorta scared, though. I mean, what if I do have it? I could end up losing all my friends, my entire way of life. I just hope it isn't as bad as I think.



Other symptoms often reported but not usually taken into account in diagnosis include:
Self-loathing.
A decrease in self-esteem.
Inattention to personal hygiene.
Sensitivity to noise.
Physical aches and pains, and the belief these may be signs of serious illness.
Fear of 'going mad'.
Change in perception of time.
Periods of sobbing.
Possible behavioral changes, such as aggression and/or irritability.

Depression in children is not as obvious as it is in adults. Here are some symptoms that children might display:
Loss of appetite.
Irritability.
Sleep problems, such as recurrent nightmares.
Learning or memory problems where none existed before.
Significant behavioral changes; such as withdrawal, social isolation, and aggression.


I found a site about clinical depression online, and it had symptoms on it, so I'll check it out.


You feel miserable and sad.
You feel exhausted a lot of the time with no energy .
You feel as if even the smallest tasks are sometimes impossible.
You seldom enjoy the things that you used to enjoy-you may be off sex or food or may 'comfort eat' to excess.
You feel very anxious sometimes.
You don't want to see people or are scared to be left alone. Social activity may feel hard or impossible.
You find it difficult to think clearly.
You feel like a failure and/or feel guilty a lot of the time.
You feel a burden to others.
You sometimes feel that life isn't worth living.
You can see no future. There is a loss of hope. You feel all you've ever done is make mistakes and that's all that you ever will do.
You feel irritable or angry more than usual.
You feel you have no confidence.
You spend a lot of time thinking about what has gone wrong, what will go wrong or what is wrong about yourself as a person. You may also feel guilty sometimes about being critical of others (or even thinking critically about them).
You feel that life is unfair.
You have difficulty sleeping or wake up very early in the morning and can't sleep again. You seem to dream all night long and sometimes have disturbing dreams.
You feel that life has/is 'passing you by.'
You may have physical aches and pains which appear to have no physical cause, such as back pain.


I'm really getting scared now... I really think I may be suffering from this... Whatever, I need to get my mind on something else. I've got homework to do, anyways.

Well, you can either try to think happy thoughts and not worry about it, as worrying will make you more depressed, or get some help. I can't think of any more options.

I dunno. You're my age and lately I've been noticing that many people in my grade have been getting depressed about things like death and stuff. Normally happy people. My best guess is that's it's something that just kinda happens for our particular age group. I know it sounds archaic but it's not exactly wrong either. The 15-16 year old age period is kind of the limbo of growing up. You're not a child anymore but you're not exactly an adult yet either and you're left with a feeling of uselessness. You're encouraged by your peers and parents to have fun and live life while at the same time you're made to accept responsibilities such as a paying job and heavy school work. But you have to get over every hill in your life sometime.

Anyway, in terms of solutions, I can't really think of any if you're chemically depressed. Go to a doctor I suppose. And never go to suicide as a solution! Suicide is just something to end it, not make it better.

Listen never diagnose yourself, this could just be part of teenage mood swings try to think positive it could be hard but most of the time your problems aren't worth worrying about never consider suicide. :D

Agreed. I mean, suicide is so pointless.

Yup, self-diagnosis is the worst thing ever. If you're worried, you should go talk to a doctor or counsellor. In my experience they're a lot more helpful and less judgemental than you'd think.

They didn't use to be, but they are now. Go get help.

Is there anyway I could get this done online, or anything like that? I just don't want my parents thinking I'm suicidal and I definately DON'T want them jumping to conclusions. I know my mom, and she'll remove who/whatever she thinks is the cause from my life with or without proof. I really don't want them to find out if it's just some depression thing that isn't a problem at all, because they will say I used it as an excuse.

Well, Nemo, Do what I always do...eat red meat...and watch V for Vendetta

ELIZA. Although that might be a little experimental...

Trust me, this sort of thing is best left to the professionals. Online would be the same as self-diagnosis.

Remember that (unless the laws in the US are freakishly different to the rest of the world) any health professional you talk to must keep your information confidential. So if you talk to a counsellor at school, go to a doctor or ring up a depression/suicide hotline (use google to find one near you) your mother shouldn't find out.

I find it hard to be sympathetic with teenage depression, having never had even the slightest brush with it (I'm way too happy all the time, despite issues I've had and suffered)

The only mood swing I ever got was when I got really pissed at my brother once for no reason, but I suppressed it, and it passed.

The only thing I can say is: killing yourself is really dumb, the problems are all in your head.

Killing yourself will only make things worse.

That's like saying you can't be sympathetic to people with cancer or starving kids in africa because you've never been one of either.

This always cheers me up...

Can't take it, never could
Time to end it, wish you would
Friends and family, they're all gone
Life for you is just a con
Dig yourself a hole in the ground
Push up daisies six feet down
Take a dirt nap, buy the farm
Inject a bubble in your arm

[CHORUS]
Kill yourself, kill yourself
Why don't you kill yourself

Don't rely on no one else
End it all just kill yourself

Life is just a one way ticket
Everyone must go around
Here's a bucket go and kick it
Slit your wrists without a sound
When you go don't make a big deal
No dramatics, don't overplay
Cause don't you know that we'll all feel
Better once you've gone away
[CHORUS-MOSH PART]

You're a loser, there's nothing left for you
A worthless loser, at everything you do

I was like that once...




Grow up. We all have to, stop moping about it.

Watch Blackadder Goes Forth. It's hillariously funny. It'll cheer you up.

I'd go and see a doctor. As Nate said, self-diagnosis is the crappest and you're always way-off mark.

It could be your hormones, it could be something medical [like diabetes] or perhaps just that you're not getting enough sleep.

If you are depressed it's all fine, they may give you a course of meds [there are groups of anti-depressants, which are: Selective Serotin Reputake Inhibitors; Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; Tricylic AntiDepressants] but most likely they'll give you counselling sessions, techniques on how to keep yourself safe and how to trip yourself out of these moods, and they'll keep an eye on you.

When you get into these bad moods try and think what triggered your feelings. Things like, people who self-harm may get triggered by images of cuts and knives, you will also have a trigger.

I wouldn't be to scared, I'm not trying to make your feelings and problems seem small but you probably aren't depressed. It sounds cliché but if you need a rant I'm only a PM away and I if you don't feel up to going to the doctors I know some websites and such which might help you.

- Rexy

It's more along the lines of the reasons people give. On DeviantART threads keep appearing from people planning to end themselves because they thought their life sucked, because they fell out with a friend or were getting bad grades and whose dog had just passed, or any number of frankly trivial things. I've had worse happen to me. It comes down to hormones, that's the only way I could explain it.

Anybody else think its a little funny that a guy named Bullet Magnet gives people advice on how to deal with depression? I just think its funny, both in the strange and ha-ha way.

Yes, the irony.

Six Feet Under really puts things into perspective.

I think the sig is what really caps it off for me, Bullet Hunter.
What does Dead Like Me do?

I don't know why you're asking us for, you seem to be the one with all the facts.

And I disagree with all the chimes of suicide being pathetic, and the general lack of sympathy. Though it does make you sound remarkably on-the-level and mature, so I suppose it's fine.

It's a terrible feeling to have, but I can't help but think that some people need to gain some perspective on life... which brings us neatly to the Total Perspective Vortex, which moots my point (and my life) entirely.
Bullet who?

Dude, did you even read the post?
I HAVE been suicidal, PAST tense.
I just started noticed I've got some of the symptoms.
All my friends are saying that they never have seen me sad, and I tend to agree with them atleast a little bit. I'm not complaining about anything, I'm not moping about anything, I'm not being emo, so shut up.

I'm sorry for being offencive, but I hate it when people give a reply that doesn't have anything to do with the actual topic.


Bastard.

Shutup, you whiny bitch.

Tell me, where did I whine in that post?
Where?
Got no answer? Didn't think so.

Okay. Nemo! Back off. OANST: let it go.

You make me giggle


I'm with OANST, grow up.

Sorry about muffing your name, Bullet Magnet.