[Indra]

Ok well every now and then I go through these like little periods of depression, each time it only lasts about one week, but its not like "oh i'm having a bad week, i sad and frustrated and just not my usual self"..
Its like actual depression and the whole time its happening I'm like "i hate feeling like this, i want to be happy again, why do i feel like this i just want to be better again"..

It only last for about a week, and I've had it happen about 4 times now and I really hate it, it just comes out of the blue, sometimes there might be a slight trigger but never something to make me feel like this, and other times there is no reason.

I have looked on websites about depression, and during these little terms I meet almost all of the symptoms, enough to be diagnosed, except for the fact that it never lasts for more than two weeks.

It feels the whole time like I'm stuck inside this, I'm just always thinking "i want to be happy again", and I am always on the verge of tears, and it feels like I'm stuck inside my own feelings, like there's something stopping me from being normal..

I always know that I will get better, but sometimes I feel almost annoyed that I can't just snap out of it when I want..

Should I see a doctor or tell my parents? I'm only 16 but I just want to know whether there is anything to be worried about..

[tickle]

If you have looked up the signs of depression and you feel you match the criteria and you are mature enough to recognize you are depressed, I would talk to your parents (and I hope they have opens minds so your opinion will be accepted readily enough) and urge them to take you to a doctor.

It seems you can pull yourself out of it for a brief period, but then slip back into it again, not a good way to be.

[mogoverthemoon]

Hay, I'm a depressive and I've been this way since I was 14 (im 19 now btw), best thing to do rite now is tell your best friend like I did, I felt better by getting it off my chest and I knew I could trust him, try that first and see what happens good luck

[jonilynn]

Ok well every now and then i go through these like little periods of depression, each time it only lasts about one week, but its not like "oh i'm having a bad week, i sad and frustrated and just not my usual self"..
Its like actual depression and the whole time its happening i'm like "i hate feeling like this, i want to be happy again, why do i feel like this i just want to be better again"..

It only last for about a week, and i've had it happen about 4 times now and i realy hate it, it just comes out of the blue, sometimes there might be a slight trigger but never something to make me feel like this, and other times there is no reason.

I have looked on websites about depression, and during these little terms i meet almost all of the symptoms, enough to be diagnosed, except for the fact that it never lasts for more than two weeks.

It feels the whole time like i'm stuck inside this, i'm just always thinking "i want to be happy again", and i am always on the verge of tears, and it feels like i'm stuck inside my own feelings, like theres something stopping me from being normal..

I always know that i will get better, but sometimes i feel almost annoyed that i can't just snap out of it when i want..

Should i see a doctor or tell my parents?, i'm only 16 but i just want to know whether there is anything to be worried about....?

I would try a little journaling to see if there is a pattern. You may find that there are triggers that you have not noticed. I am not sure if you questions stated whether you are male or female, but if you are female, does the depression episodes corelate with your monthly cycle (PMS?). There is a disorder PMDD (Premenstrual Depressive Disorder). They do treat this with an anti-depressant. I would advise you to tell a responsible adult about your struggles. That would be the mature thing to do. Keep a watch if the episodes get any longer in length or more frequent.

[Indra]

Well I think this time has been longer than others, and also the time before this wasn't that long ago.

It started with me not being able to sleep during the night, so I would fall asleep at around 5:30am and then sleep until 4:30pm, about 11 hours, then I would get up do the things I had to do for the day, have dinner, watch TV, talk to my parents... then do whatever until early in the morning when I would fall asleep again.

Also this last week I have been sick, so my mum says that's why I am sleeping so much, but I started sleeping more before I got sick too... for about two weeks I haven't had any energy and I just feel like "whats the point" in everything, I have stopped running which I used to do a few times a week... and these last 2-3 days I have felt really sad and just cry for no reason at all, I just feel so empty and bored..

And for a while now I have stopped riding my horse, something which I previously loved and lived for, but now I just can't be bothered and feel there's absolutely no point...

All I want is to feel my normal happy, enthusiastic self, who can be bothered to do anything, even if there is no point... :confused:

[Indra]

I would try a little journaling to see if there is a pattern. You may find that there are triggers that you have not noticed. I am not sure if you questions stated whether you are male or female, but if you are female, does the depression episodes corelate with your monthly cycle (PMS?). There is a disorder PMDD (Premenstrual Depressive Disorder). They do treat this with an anti-depressant. I would advise you to tell a responsible adult about your struggles. That would be the mature thing to do. Keep a watch if the episodes get any longer in length or more frequent.

I am female, but no I don't think it has anything to do with that, but then again I can't really tell as they aren't regular..

[Indra]

I think I found it! :) :( :confused:


INTRODUCTION


Recurrent brief depression (RBD) is an affective disorder with periodic episodes occurring almost every month that are unrelated to the menstruation cycle and last only a few days. The diagnostic criteria for RBD requires the presence of at least five out of nine depressive symptoms analogous to the symptoms of major depression, yet a duration of less than two weeks, according to DSM-IV and ICD-10 diagnostic criteria. RBD is a well-defined and significantly prevalent affective disorder with an increased risk of suicidal behavior and significant clinical impairment in the community and general practice. Suicide attempts have been reported in 7.8% of RBD patients.1-4

Available data indicate that the 10-year prevalence rate for this disorder is estimated to be 10 percent for people in their 20s and the 1-year prevalence in the general population is about 5%. These numbers indicate that RBD is most common among young adults.1,5 Further epidemiological and clinical studies are needed to develop preventation strategies and specific treatment.1,6-8 The DSM-IV criteria for RBD specify that the symptom duration for each episode is less than 2 weeks. Otherwise, the diagnostic criteria for RBD and major depressive disorder are essentially identical. One subtle difference is that the lives of patients with RBD may seem more disturbed or chaotic because of the frequent changes in their moods than are the lives of patients with major depressive disorder.1

RBD in adolescence tend to show a near-monthly rhythm and psychotic features. Most appear to be manifestations of affective illness and may be treated and prevented as such.9 Results of another study showed that episodes of sleep disturbances closely coincide with the episodes of depression and thus helping clinicians establish the periodicity of the depressive episodes.1 We should view RBD as a severe condition, not as a mild form of mood disorder. Furthermore, the validity of a diagnostic entity depend on the diagnostic criteria and the outcome but also on family history, laboratory studies and specific therapeutic response. Taking this into account the lack of a successful treatment represents one of the main challenges for this disorder.10 The therapeutic value of lithium in RBD has been suggested by Montgomery (1992), considering its usefulness in emotionally unstable character disorder, but the specific efficacy of this agent has not been tested yet in the case of patients with RBD.3

[huno]

I can definitely relate to your experiences. I'll tell you what I went through (this post is going to be long, so you may want to go grab a bowl of cereal or something).

I had depressive episodes, they'd last a few days or as long as a week, and sometimes they'd come with no apparent association with another event. Most of the time, though, I was depressed because of something that happened to me.

I started having these depressive moments when I was 17 and they came strongest in my early 20s (I'm 26 now). I'd feel terrible, I'd have no energy, no willpower to do anything but sit around feeling bad. Couldn't do homework, couldn't concentrate at work, I couldn't do anything. I always assumed it was normal to feel this way and that I should just learn to handle it. I talked to my mother, who is much more supportive than my dad; at first she just thought I should just "deal with it." But after many conversations with her she started noticing that it was so recurrent, that something was definitely wrong. I then learned about counseling at my university.

I went to a counselor at the school's health center. We did some one-on-one therapy and some group therapy, which was hard at first since I'm very shy, but it definitely helped in the end. I stopped seeing the counselor and went a year without it, and I was feeling okay but I noticed my depression was still around. By then my parents were convinced that this was a serious problem and that I needed to get a handle on it. This was kind of a breakthrough, since they never dealt with depression and they were always the kind of people to just "tough it out." They don't believe in therapy or medication or any of that, but as they've seen me suffer through bouts of depression, they listened to what I'd experienced and decided I was suffering much more than anyone should.

I went to a 2nd counselor, who suggested medication, something I'd always been against for fear of adverse reaction. But by then the depression was regular and very debilitating, so I gave in.

I was prescribed Celaxa, and thankfully I've had no strange reaction to it. The medication definitely helped, because I'm finding that triggers that would normally have depressed me no longer have the same effect. I feel bad or upset sometimes, but definitely something "normal," which I never knew what was like... for the longest time, I just assumed that being completely depressed WAS "normal." I found I was coping with stress and negative situations a lot better. Combined with some additional talk therapy and some support from my closest friends, I can say that I'm a lot better off now than I was before.

So my suggestion to you is to look into counseling. If your parents are supportive, talk to them, too, but know that a professional is going to be much more knowledgeable than they. Your school should have a counselor on-site; talk to him/her. You may also have really close friends. If you are willing, talk to them about your depression. You may think that they'll laugh at you, but you'd be surprised how supportive people can be, especially if they're very close to you.

Your counselor may recommend medication, and only you can determine whether it's a viable option. My experience with it has been resoundingly positive, but I know it doesn't always work out for the best.

In any case, do something. I only wish I had done something about it sooner; I could have saved myself years of grief. Good luck.