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Discuss Wild Irish Rose's answer to: Severe mood swings.

I was diagnosed with mild to moderate depression last year. I went to therapy for a while but left because it wasn't helping. I'm only 15 and with my exams coming up i need help. I have severe mood ...

Wild Irish Rose Answered:

Deeladybug, any time a person is thinking about suicide, it should be taken very seriously. This is not something to tell a person to "just get over it" and wait for summer vacation.

Charlotte, you already have a diagnosis of clinical depression. Were you prescribed any meds? If so, did they help? The first thing I'd beg you to do is to tell your mother, and be honest with her about how bad you're feeling. I'm not a doctor, so please don't take this as a diagnosis, but I'm bipolar and so is my son, and that's a disease characterized by mood swings, sometimes extreme, sometimes milder. Obviously, you aren't feeling right, and it sounds like you want/need some help. Maybe your mom can help you find another therapist - the first one might just have not been a good "fit" with you. Also, you might want to see your physician for an opinion on medications. Some mental health issues are managed by a combination of therapy and medications.

Most of all, don't feel weak or ashamed. Depression and diseases like it are real medical illnesses, don't let anyone tell you it's "all in your head." I think it takes a very brave person to get help with an illness that still has somewhat of a stigma attached to it. Pursue treatment until you're feeling better, you deserve to have a good, happy life. Take care, and I hope you're able to get help and start feeling better in the near future.

Rose

Posted 2 years ago
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***Coimhéad fearg fhear na foighde (Beware of the anger of a patient man) ***Maireann croí éadrom i bhfad (A light heart lives longest) ***Ná glac pioc comhairle gan comhairle ban (Never take advice without a woman's guidance) ***Sláinte chugat (Good health to you) ***Éirinn go Brách (Ireland forever!)

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Caitybug Thinks this answer is Helpful:

Perfect answer!

Wild Irish Rose

Thanks, Caitybug, I didn't want to pretend to be a mental health professional, but some of the things Charlotte brought up really concerned me, and I hate to think of anyone in that much distress trying to go it alone. Of course I can't diagnose her as bipolar, but being familiar with the symptoms (as they affect my son and me, at least) I thought it might be something she'd be interested in checking out. I hope she's doing better, and getting the help she needs.

Caitybug Thinks this answer is Helpful:

I agree that her description of her mood cycles hints that she might be suffering from undiagnosed bipolar. I also think that your courage in telling it how it is in your personal life in order to help another person speaks volumes about your character!

deeladybug Thinks this answer is Not Helpful:

that was not very nice rose.....i didn't tell her anything to get over i know many teenager that wan'ts attention so they say their life is hard or miserable like about school.......she is 15........she is a typical teenager but i think if her mama thought she needed help from a doctor....she would take her there....i was trying to cheer her up because she wanted somebody to encourage her that"s she normal......if she went to doctor for this before and says it didn't help i think she too young to know what a doctors opinion and i am sure that if there was any danger with her life.....the doctor would of told her mama......there is alot we dont know about the circumstance's. ......so i am offened what you and cattybug have to say to me....she is a new member , a young teen....so take that in consideration of her questions and pull your claws back in.......dee

Caitybug Thinks this answer is Helpful:

Deeladybug? I have not acknowledged you until this very moment. Your statement of being offended by me makes no sense. Secondly, I don't see any reason to be offended or to have gone on and made comments about "claws" and what not. Yes, there are a lot about the circumstances we don't know, which includes whether her statements about suicidal thoughts are valid or not. What if they are? Would you think it's a good idea to overlook them? Your concern over her emotions and trying to cheer her up is kind, but I think everyone who responded has the same concern.

Wild Irish Rose

Deeladybug, check your own claws. I'm not going to quote your original answer here, but you dismissed her symptoms as typical teen behavior and told her the answer was to have fun. Yes, she's a new member. Yes, she may have made up the question to get attention. However, do you know how many people talk about depression and suicide, get ignored because people think they're "craving attention" and then go though with a successful suicide attempt? Look up the statistics, especially among young people. You may think I was over-reacting, but I think that anyone who speaks of suicide should be taken seriously. If they're just asking for attention, believe me, that will come out.

As for her experience with the previous doctor, she's not too young to understand what a doctor says. Depending on the kind of doctor she was taken to, he/she could have had little or no knowledge of the subject of depression/suicide. The doctor would not necessarily have told her mom if he thought Charlotte was just a "typical teen" as you think, he could have brushed her off. I've been to many doctors in my 56 years, both physicians and psychiatrists/therapists, and I can tell you that there are many who shouldn't have medical degrees. Just remember: 50% of all doctors graduated in the lowest 50% of their medical training.

I didn't read where she wanted someone to encourage her that she's normal (and the way she is thinking is NOT normal), I read a young woman asking for help because she feels her life is out of control and she doesn't know what to do. I'm sure if her mom felt she needed help, she would get her help, but just to refresh your memory, this is what she said, she didn't know what to do and hadn't told her mom yet. So her mom didn't know she was in distress.

I'm sorry you're offended at my reaction to what you said, but because of the problems I've had getting appropriate help for both myself and my son, this kind of question affects me deeply. My youngest son had a high school friend who was depressed and talked about suicide for weeks; no one took him seriously. He ended up standing in front of a freight train - guess who won that one?

Maybe I took this too seriously, but I don't think so. I apologize again if I offended you, that wasn't my purpose. I know you were trying to help her by cheering her up and that your intentions were very good. I just had a different take on this question and thought it should be handled more seriously, from my own life experiences.

Just one more thing: I think that if a person decides to participate in a forum like this, they should probably have or develop a pretty thick skin. Your answers/comments are public, and are being judged by people you don't know anything about, and from what I've seen, some answers and comments can be very extreme.

Anyway, sorry again, and I'm going to end this. Send me a message if you have more to say, because I don't think this is an appropriate place to air our differences.

Rose