Parents, when more than one of your kids is suffering from depression?

I have depression, along with anxiety disorder, suicidal thoughts, and cutting tendencies. I am a university kid, music major, and tend to lead a fairly busy and stressful life with classes, rehearsals, performances, and tours. I am happy to a point. My biggest fears are failure and rejection, whether past, present or future.

I would love to tell my parents about this. There's more than one issue stopping me. My older brother suffers from depression as well. My parents know about his. He is an officer in the Marines, has a beautiful wife, and lives away from home. He is very productive, yet still has depression.

My fear is that my parents will become heartbroken if they knew about me, and they have enough to deal with one in the family. Now, my brother does know about me, but I have asked him to keep his mouth shut. Also, I started cutting and a failed suicide attempt at age 12, and my parents found out then. I got yelled at, the works. I've been depressed since then.

My mom is a teacher/artist and dad is a minister. Over the course of my time in the youth group, several youth ministers have tried to tell my dad how depressed i actually was, and he just flat out told them that they weren't raising his kid.

I've sought professional help, and i think those people need to go back to school. Professional help can only take you so far My closest friends know, my mentor (one of my professors) knows, but the people who knew me from the beginning do not....or have put the first incident out of their minds refusing to believe it.

You are old enough to get help without having to include your parents in the decision. Apparently, depressive tendencies run in your family, which should not be a surprise to either of your parents. Depression is not the end of the world or something to be ashamed of. Go get help...and tell them the whole story. I think more is going on than just depression and it clearly began in your childhood. Good luck! KJL

you need to call a suicide help line, TELL YOUR PARENTS because if you don't it could be too late and they'd respect you coming out and telling them this and tell them that you need help because the last thing they would want to see happen is soemthing bad to happen to you

i can tell that you do need some help,i am a inden and am pepole have way's of delling the this kind of probbom.there is a lot to-it so i won't be abell to tell you all of it ,buti will try to help as much as i can ok, to start with we need to be abell to talk. i do not won't to geve-out my e-mail to allto see. try to find ind: in you area,it's ok depresson is (NOT) janett: os plase dot think that you pased it on,that can't happen! you do need some one that you can take with.good-luck try to cont:me.

ANXIETY: See anxiety treatments, at * ezy-build (below) in section 6. Set yourself a fixed limit for worrying about any particular subject, (say; 15 minutes) after which, resolve firmly to refuse to even consider that subject again on that day: realise and accept that to do otherwise would be counterproductive to your mental health, and enjoyment of life. Use the technique for reprogramming negative thoughts and internal monologue (self talk), on pages 2, and 2L, to help you in this: some people carry a wide rubber band in their pocket: put it on their wrist; stretch, and release, as a means of reinforcing it, and speeding up the process, re-pocketing it afterwards, but I regard this as being purely optional. Practice one of the relaxation methods on pages 2, 11, 2c, or 2i, daily, and when needed. Also, give the EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. There is also a version for use in public places, (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising: saying it to yourself in your mind). Section 53, and pages 2, 2.q and 2.o at * http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris also refer: "Even though I sometimes suffer from anxiety, I deeply and completely accept myself." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DEPRESSION: My standard post follows, but antidepressants are unsuitable for young people. XOXOX See depression treatments, at ezy-build *(below) in section 2, and consult a doctor, to eliminate thyroid problems, etc. as possible contributing factors: also seek a referral to a therapist using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy. It is your decision, and yours alone, as to whether to take any antidepressants offered, but, before you do, read section 1, and check medications out at www.drugs.com so you will be on the lookout for side effects, like sexual dysfunction. My strong recommendation, however, is to follow the advice of my doctor, his associate, and also Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, and Dr. Mercola, as well, at http://www.mercola.com and avoid antidepressants (pages 2V, and 2Z refer, & antidepressant websites: page 2). The reasons why we all share the same view on this are explained in full, as you will find, if you read the whole section. All of their advice, (except prayer, because many people are not religious) I have incorporated into the "core treatments", including occupational therapy, relaxation techniques, and exercise, with others as options, such as the supplements: Inositol, or SAMe, or herbal remedies, like St. John's wort. If you are diagnosed with clinical (major) depression, antidepressants may be necessary for a while, which will give the treatments time to become effective. The antidepressants themselves need at least several days, or even weeks to begin becoming effective. It's a good idea to taper off them slowly, with medical advice, after several months, say, to a couple of years, at most, because they are only effective in the long term for about 30% of people. Because of this, you would be well advised to begin the treatments immediately, and maintain them. I'd just thank your mental health care provider, and pocket the prescription, trying the treatments for a few months, to see if they are sufficient for you, before considering filling it (unless clinically depressed, and having great difficulty functioning, or suicidal, in which case I'd take them). If the amount of daylight you have been exposed to recently has reduced, perhaps due to the change of seasons, see Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) in section 2, at * http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris and, instead of taking 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily; replace 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements for the winter months only! (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste). Consider having your doctor test your vitamin D levels, using the 25 HYDROXYVITAMIN D test. Optimal levels are 50 - 55 ng/ml (115 - 125 nmol/l. It should be above 32 ng/ml. Print/refer your brother, as well. He would do well to leave the Marines, since his depression may well be exogenous,(situational) and if so, is unlikely to improve much, if at all, in that career. Suicidal thoughts, and self harm are addressed in sections 5, and 16: contact them, when you feel the need. There is an article on coping with rejection, in section 9. Visit your counselor.