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If You're a Kid Reading This ...

© John McManamy

"You could very well be depressed and you're the only one who knows it."

You're not a Kosovo refugee, yet you somehow feel you should be. It would simplify matters. It would explain why you're so sad so much of the time.

Or perhaps you already know: You don't fit in. They make fun of you. You're fat, you're skinny, you're stupid, whatever. What would your parents know about that?

Maybe by now you've stopped caring. You're sleep-walking through school, you're behind in most of your classes and the prospects of catching up seem hopeless. Just getting up in the morning uses up all your energy for the rest of the day.

Maybe it really starts getting to you. You lash out at your parents, your friends, teachers, whoever is convenient. Maybe the opposite happens. You withdraw into a private little shell. Maybe it's a bit of both.

Your parents and friends and teachers maybe aren't helping, either. They tell you to "snap out of it," or stop with the "poor me" routine.

You might take solace in a few creature comforts such as food - and more food. Maybe someone's turned you on to drugs or alcohol. Perhaps you have allowed darker thoughts to enter your mind.

Whoa! Before it goes any further ...

You could very well be clinically depressed, and right now you could be the only one in the world who knows it. The good news is depression is one of the most treatable of mental disorders, one you should not have to suffer from. Recovery won't solve all your problems, but it will make them far easier to manage.

Moreover, you should know this: Depression is not your fault. It's not all in your head. You didn't just bring it on. Your brain has simply gone crash, like a computer. Crash. You can get it up and running again. There are doctors and therapists who can help.

And another thing: You're not crazy or psycho. Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill both suffered from depression, and people trusted them enough to save the world, okay?

But right now it's you versus the world, and the next little while could be tough. What the hell do your parents know about depression, after all, and why would they care?

Okay, I hear you, but listen: We're playing for high stakes here - your life, your future - and the odds stack up far better in your favor with your folks on your side. Tell them. Straight out. Mom, Dad, I think I'm suffering from clinical depression and I think we need to check it out. Simple as that. If they're cool about it, you're halfway home.

The copyright of the article If You're a Kid Reading This ... in Depression is owned by Kathy Brewis. Permission to republish If You're a Kid Reading This ... in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.