Kimberly said 9 years, 12 months ago:

So i am a high school student and i have been struggling quite badly for a while now. Not long ago i was in a really bad place and it was so bad that my teacher (english lit) noticed me. Almost everyday she had been asking me if i was alright and making sure that everything was okay. It was one study class where she cam up to me and that day was particularly bad and she started to ask me what was wrong. Of course i was at a vulnerable stage and said that everything was overwhelming and i felt like crap. I then told her that i honestly didn’t know what was wrong with me, i didn’t know why i felt so horrible.

As time went on, we had to submit our class journals to the teacher and mine-at the back- had a section where i vented (i was meant to take that out in all seriousness!) but at that time i was in a really busy state of mind and it totally escaped my head. She found it and said that she was really worried for me and that if i needed to talk she was there. Of course i did, but talking to a teacher (even though i’ve had her for 4 1/2 years) it seemed awkward. But eventually about a month later i went and asked to talk to her, she was almost delighted that i asked and said yes. We proceeded to talk that afternoon during another of my classes; which she went on to say that given what i was writing in my journal (very annoyed that she read it) and my mood lately that i had depression- she said that she’s no psychologist but that i should talk to someone.

About a month went by and i was into the idea of going to talk to someone because i thought that it was the only glimmer of hope i have of getting better. But there is a small problem- i really, really don’t want my family to find out or even know anything bout it; and know i am starting to reassess whether or not i want to go and see someone or just toughen up. I don’t want the psychologist to tell me i have to go on meds because then my mum and dad will find out (this is the school psychologist by the way).

Sorry for this being so long, but if anyone has any advice, words of wisdom, ANYTHING! feel free to tell me about it. Thanks

Atlas said 9 years, 11 months ago:

I’m actually in a similar situation, where I desperately needed help without my parents knowing.

I had been briefly talking to my psychology teacher about how I would go about getting help. For my particular school, if you’re 18 they generally don’t have to tell your parents unless you are at risk of self harming, harming others or suicide.

Eventually it all got a bit too much for me, so I told my psychology teacher that I was dealing with depression, and she referred me to a counselor, who I now see a couple of weeks. I also managed to go behind my parents backs and saw a doctor, and was prescribed anti-depressants.

I managed to do this without my parents knowing, but I had to get the medication from the chemist and my mother found out what was going on, because she had taken the same medication.

Unfortunately this won’t improve on it’s own. I can completely understand why you don’t want your parents to know, but maybe its for the best. I haven’t had to tell them the full extent of how depressed I was, so maybe it would be the same for you. I was actually really surprised at how supportive both my parents were.

I can message you with more information about how I went about doing this if you’d like.

Kimberly said 9 years, 11 months ago:

Thanks everyone, i have gone to make an appointment with the school psychologist, but i don’t know what to say. I’m not as sad as i was before, i just feel empty and really nothing so it’s going to be weird trying to talk ’cause she will think there is nothing wrong…

Thanks for all your input