Ok I was diagnosed with clinical depression when I was 11 and the more I think about it the more I'm convinced I'm misdiagnosed. You see 11 is when I hit puberty and that is when everything changed. Before I hit puberty I was thin, athletic and acrobatic. I was in great shape and people always wanted to hang out with me and I was also a girl magnet lol, but when I hit puberty I got obese and most people didn't want to hang out with me anymore especially the girls. So experiencing such a massive change in such a short amount of time (a complete 180 actually) it's understandable I would get depressed. Not clinically depressed but depressed.

So my mom not knowing what was going on took me to the crider center to find out what was wrong with me, and they determined I was clinically depressed. I of course believed it because I was really young at the time and not knowing what was going on I believed it. Clinically depressed people are suppose to have this "gray" view of the world and not only do I not have that view I never did. My depression (not clinical depression) always centered around one thing.. . my obesity. Everyone gets depressed every now and then but that's not the same thing as clinical depression.

I truly believe I was inadvertently brainwashed into believing I had a mental disorder I never had. So is it possible I was misdiagnosed? If so what can I do about it? I'm on disability right now because of my clinical depression and I'm trying to get a job so I can get off it, but my misdiagnoses caused a lot of chaos in my younger life which led to a really crappy job history so that combined with the fact that I haven't worked in many years makes it so no place will hire me anymore.

Now I'm 34 years old and wanting to move on from this and make something of myself. I'm currently portioning my food and exercising which has caused me to lose over 60 lbs and I will lose a lot more. The only way out of this I see for myself is to lose enough weight and then join the army. Which is something I've always wanted to do, but given my history seems unlikely. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place and I don't know what to do.

Are you taking meds for depression?

How recently have you met with a therapist/counselor?

I'm on bupropion hcl and I saw my doctor a couple months ago and I see him next month.

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Before I hit puberty I was thin, athletic and acrobatic. I was in great shape and people always wanted to hang out with me and I was also a girl magnet lol, but when I hit puberty I got obese and most people didn't want to hang out with me anymore especially the girls

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Puberty doesn't cause obesity, so why did you go from being thing, athletic and acrobatic, to obese? What led to that?

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So experiencing such a massive change in such a short amount of time (a complete 180 actually) it's understandable I would get depressed

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Here's the thing. Such a massive change, from thin, athletic, and acrobatic (your words) to obese, is a sign of depression. Unless there was a medical reason that you suddenly went from a very active person, to an obese person, the depression was there before the change from thin to obese.

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My depression (not clinical depression) always centered around one thing.. . my obesity.

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But what caused the obesity in such a short time? What made you go from a physically fit self proclaimed ladies man, to someone that's obese?

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I'm on disability right now because of my clinical depression and I'm trying to get a job so I can get off it, but my misdiagnoses caused a lot of chaos in my younger life which led to a really crappy job history

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Where do you live that potential employers have access to your medical history from the age of 11? Also, how is depression a diagnosis that leads to a crappy job history? Why are you blaming this diagnosis on how you perform at any job you've had? A crappy job history is on you. I have friends that have mental health issues that often require hospitalization in a mental facility, and many of them have been hospitalized for months on end. More than a handful of them are employed full time. Some even have two jobs, and they do those jobs very well despite their accurate diagnosis of mental health issues.

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I'm currently portioning my food and exercising which has caused me to lose over 60 lbs and I will lose a lot more. The only way out of this I see for myself is to lose enough weight and then join the army.

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That's awesome! It's a good start. The only obstacle standing in your way, is you! It's always been you.

I suffer from clinical depression. I take the meds my doctor recommends, and I'm able to function normally. I don't let my diagnosis define me. It seems like you do though.

Until you come to terms with who you are, and work with that, no one else will.

You have to stop blaming all your problems on a diagnosis. That's what's holding you back! That's what's put you where you are. Clinical depression is not a death sentence, and it's not a mental disorder that should prevent you from living your life, unless you let it be, and you've let it be the defining thing in your life.

You need help dealing with this. More help than you'll find online.

It is possible that you had hormonal changes when you reached puberty that were aside from the sexual ones. Without expensive tests and a good endocrinologist, you could easily be diagnosed wrong, but how would anyone online know?

What puzzles me is that you were not evaluated frequently, especially in your teens and 20s, to look for signs that you had changed. Or were you, and you just followed along with the depression because you were overweight? It doesn't add up.

The good news is that plenty of people get out of depression. More good news is that you are young enough to learn a skill or even get an academic degree. What do you dream of doing? (Easier to meet women if you have a career, of course, so think about that later...)

I don't know if you were misdiagnosed or not, but you are under a doctors care so eventually and hopefully that will get sorted out, but in the meantime, explore this link and see what happens.

Disability Training | United States Department of Labor

Depression doesn't have a one size fits all treatment. It may take a while to find the right one that works best for you... and even then that one might not work forever and need to be adjusted or changed from time to time.

Most of the things you have mentioned happened "when I was 11". "Now I'm 34 years old". 23 years is a long time to be thinking you were " convinced I'm misdiagnosed". Other than current meds, what was medically addressed over these 23 years?

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Originally Posted by smoothy

Depression doesn't have a one size fits all treatment. It may take a while to find the right one that works best for you... and even then that one might not work forever and need to be adjusted or changed from time to time.

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I had to spread the rep, but this answer is dead on accurate!

Depression runs in my family. I was diagnosed when my mom was diagnosed with cancer for the second time in her life. My doctor put me on atidepressants immediately, citalopram aka cylexa. It worked for me. I was lucky. So many people have to go through many different meds and treatment options before they find what works for them. It's not a one cure for all type thing.

Cylexa is a mild antidepressant, very few side effects. I was able to continue taking it when I got pregnant with my second child, my daughter. No adverse side effects to her.

Many times during the use of this medication I thought I was fine, and went off it. Um... no. I was fine because I was on it. My entire family could tell when I went off it, and so could I. Severe depression.

So I'm on it for life, and it's relatively cheap even in Canada, cheaper in the US.

It used to be a stigma, being on meds for depression. It's now something most people understand. It's a chemical imbalance in the brain, and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

But, this poster has let a diagnosis that he doesn't think is accurate, rule his entire life! He's obese, his words, because he believes that diagnosis. He's had a horrible job history because he believes that he's too depressed to work.

I actually have depression, clinical depression, and I'm on meds for it. I've had a career, gave it up to raise my kids, but even now, 18 years later, I still get calls at least once every 6 months from my former employer (I was an insurance underwriter), asking what they can do to tempt me to come back. The only reason I don't, is the travel time, and the time it would take me away from my kids, but I miss insurance every day. It was something I was really good at, and I miss it so much. But I'd miss my kids more, so I always decline.

Every job I've ever had, and I've had a few since I was diagnosed, I gave it my all. I was always the one that left. I was never fired.

The poster seems to have failed at every job he's had because of the diagnosis he was given. So you're fat. Welcome to the club! So you have depression! Welcome to the club! That doesn't mean that you can use those things as a crutch to explain away all your failures.

Sorry, but I've been there, and you're using this diagnosis as a reason for why you're failing things. Time to get help, and time to realize that your life is in your hands. A diagnosis of depression isn't a crutch to fail at everything you try, and those that have depression, know it! So stop making excuses!