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19939394 tn?1487000895

i need advice on how i can start to feel happy again.

I am a 16 year old girl but i feel like i am different than other teenager girls my own age is used to want to go out with my friends but now, i never want to leave my house unless i have to go school, and as soon as school is finished i just want to go home and lock myself in my room again, i barely speak to my friends anymore because i just don't know what to say to them.I know i have depression and i have seen a therapist about it, but i stopped seeing her because i didn't feel like i wanted to open up to a total stranger about my life. There are some days i just can't bring myself to get out of bed but i used to think it was because i was lazy, also i  tend to avoid my family as much as possible, i just don't have the energy to speak to them because i know they wouldn't understand how i'm feeling, i just don't know how to feel happy anymore.
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19946161 tn?1487130806
Hi,
Sometimes taking small steps help to guide you in a positive direction. Depending on how long you have felt this for, the solution might be harder and more challenging before you can feel happy. Generally solving the cause of your unhappiness will help you. I know it is easier said then done. Trust me, I am still working on it myself.
Hope this helped.
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Avatar universal
Cateland,  I have dealt with depression since I was a teen. It sounds like you are going through it also. Have you talked to your parents about this? I'm not a medical professional. I'm just a mom. But, if you were my child, I'd be taking you to a doctor and not just a therapist. A therapist is great but, if your depression is being caused by chemical imbalance or hormones then you might need some meds to help you through. It doesn't mean you have to be on them forever and they can really help. ONLY use meds a doctor prescribes for you. You don't want to ruin your life by self-medicating.   A therapist can be a great help.  Especially when you find one you really click with.  You feel like you're speaking to a friend not a stranger. It's a safe place to open yourself up without fear of being judged or anyone else ever knowing. Thoughts can get jumbled in your own head but become clearer when you talk about them.   Think about it. Talk to your parents about how bad you feel. Ask them about seeing a doctor or even your family doctor.
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1 Comments
Just want to say, there is no known chemical imbalance that causes anxiety or depression.  This is a bogus theory, long debunked, originally popularized by Eli Lilly to sell Prozac.  These meds can help make some people feel better, but only by tamping down the symptoms, and they are of course difficult to stop taking and profoundly alter the way the brain works naturally.  They are not recommended for anyone who is functioning okay, and not recommended or FDA approved for young people who do not have fully developed brains.  That doesn't mean they should never be used, but it does mean they should only be used as surgery us used, only if nothing else works.  Hormonal imbalances are different, and it's good to see if that's it, just as it's important to see if it's a blood sugar imbalance, thyroid problem, hidden virus, etc.  And if you do find medication for mental problems necessary, your doctor is not the best person for this, a psychiatrist is.  Regular docs do not study this problem very much nor do they study much about how to use and stop using these meds.  That's what psychiatrists train to do.  But for a 16 year old, again, these meds are not approved for them and only supposed to be used when absolutely necessary when they cannot function and everything else has failed.
Avatar universal
Go back to the therapist.  Soon she won't be a stranger anymore.  Something is going on and you need help discovering what.  Therapy takes time, and if you're not going to speak to those you know, a stranger is perfect, no?
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Avatar universal
Hi Cateland
I don't have probably the perfect answer for you, but it sounds like if there is no one that you feel like you want to be around for can talk to, that strangers who feel the way you do might be the only ones you can open up to. I'm sure there are maybe groups or meetings in your area that could be helpful, not specifically a therapist but groups for people who are feeling depressed, much like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, groups of people I'm guessing of all ages who might be cathartic to listen to because sometimes it helps to get feedback and hear stories from people who are feeling the way that you feel.  I feel the same way and have for quite some time and have been considering looking up some of these groups for myself, and I am considerably older than you are, but I have felt the way that you feel now when I was 16 and a different stages of my life. If you don't feel like you want to or can talk to your family or your current friends, you have to try to find someone you can relate to or at least listen to their stories, because complete isolation especially at your young age is not going to open you up but might in fact make things worse if you're unable to talk to someone soon. I wish you the best of luck.
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