How to overcome loneliness and depression?

I have had this same problem when i was younger. Seriously and almost to a "T" i feel for ya bud. I am now 24 and i am on no meds and i have a wonderful life. what im trying to say is there is no right way to do anything really. I got to where i am through A LOT of heartache though i am a ferm believer of following your heart and having faith that with every situation comes a lesson. What helped me a little was the counselors at school or even adults i trusted outside of school. My parents were too parental to help me with much. I went through a lot of counseling which im sure was better than none. I had friends but none that stuck but they got me through. I also did a lot of writing or art work that always made me feel good. If you have an art club or class join it it will help out a lot. Sorry i cant tell you more but everyone is different try to find something that works for you. And try to take comfort in the fact that your not alone. :) hope some of these ideas help

I have Bipolar Disorder and its gotten to the point that I've had to go on disability. The first thing I will tell you is you need to take medication even when you feel fine. If not its only going to get worse. I know its hard to talk to your family. I have a hard time talking to them because I don't want them to worry about me but sometimes its the only choice. The only real thing you can do is try to ride it out as best you can. Do what you have to do and chill the rest of the time. If you have all your homework and chores done don't feel bad about curling into a ball under the covers. I've been dealing with it since I was 20 so I know what Im talking about. Lastly and most important is It doesn't mean you are weak or that God is punishing you. Sooner or later you will hear that. Don't by it for a second you are sick just like if you had cancer its not yours or anyone's fault.

Get over the girl from last year.

You have to be open to new things. I went through a horrible time with OCD when I was younger, but I knew my triggers. I knew that situations brought it on, so I avoided them as much as possible. (For example when the phone rang I would have my little routine since I was terrified of who was on the other end, so I silenced all the phones and let it go to voicemail when I was home alone. I took the phone out of my room so I couldn't hear it. etc)

You have to minimize the OCD. It is not something that you can rid yourself of completely. I still separate the Coke cans in the fridge, but it doesn't take a toll on my life like missing the bus everyday was (due to my routines I would have to do over and over before I could leave the house).

Revisit the doctor who originally prescribed you the meds, he'll know your history and will be able to help.

Wow. That really reminds me of my own story. I don't know, I have moments still, but in general you end up getting over it. The thing is, you gotta seek out people you *feel* are nice, I don't know, it's always worked for me, I could always tell from the moment I met someone if they were genuine and nice or if they were just the facade, reality tv wannabes. I never really got into the whole religion thing, I found myself blaming god for everything and then I realized that hating fate and whatever is just an excuse. I found a few people I felt I could trust and I started to open up to them, a little at a time. Some of them I could tell actually cared and w/e, some of them I noticed stopped paying attention, so I just focused on the ones who listened. I learned to let go of the things that don't matter, yes it sounds naive I'm sure, but really, it's more important in life to do what makes you happy. You gotta balance everything out, and if you have too much on your plate, prioritize and let the stuff that's not really important to YOU and/or YOUR future go. And try to make a close friend or two, they can really help you get through a lot. Good luck, and hit me up if you want.

I have been suffering from post partum depression for the past one year when I gave birth to a baby boy. I couldn't stop thinking about how my husband loves him more than me and how things might be better if he wasn't born at all. Thus, I stayed away from him because I knew that I might do something I will regret for the rest of my life.

Almost instantly I went to a therapist and convince them that I need help. Among other things, I've tried herbal supplements and other book to treat depression but nothing works like the Depression Free Method. So now I'm proud to say I'm one of the happiest mother in the world. My husband loves us both very much and I thank the Lord for the blessing he gave us.

Depression Free Method?

The most common treatment method for depression is a combination of psychotherapy and use of medicines. Medications can help maintain balance in neurotransmitters which is a chemical that can affect emotions. I really think getting active like excising is the best was to fight sever sadness. Exercising helps get good endorphins going through the brain that make you feel good about yourself. Don't be afraid to reach out to people:)

OK, you MUST listen to this--understand?

You are a biological entity, and you know that, right? We eat food and take in oxygen so that we can break down sugars, etc., to generate the energy we need in order to run our muscles...and keep on breathing, digesting, eating, etc.

So you are also a bio-CHEMICAL entity. This is why there is such a thing as "brain chemistry", which is what's going on in the biochemistry of the brain, just like there is blood chemistry, etc. Now, you understand that, while we talk (poetically) about feelings being in our "heart", that a lot of what we feel is a mental thing, and what happens in the brain affects our feelings (even though we can have physical manifestations of those feelings!). This is why CHANGING the chemical balance in the brain can change how we feel--and why people can get hooked on drugs (like alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, heroine, etc.), and why things like, say, LSD (which really screws w/the brain chemistry!) can lead to a sense of "altered consciousness"--when you screw w/the equilibrium of your brain, you MIGHT affect the info you take in (your senses) and/or how you process it (thinking) and/or how you feel about it.

If that makes sense, then you NEED to understand that, if you WERE prescribed a medication, then you NEED it. THe most common reason for people w/bipolar disorder to have problems is that they go off their medication(s)--like you did, it seems--because they were feeling good... WHY were you feeling good/better? It was _because_ of the medications; and now you have proof that they worked, because NOW you feel WORSE, right?

The depression is part of the biochemical IMbalance which is represented by your bipolar disorder; it means that something is messing w/what SHOULD be a nice, balanced chemistry all in happy equilibrium. Something isn't producing enough of something, or there's too much of something, etc.--but the end result is that you are "out of equilibrium", chemistry-wise, and your medication(s) help to put your brain chemistry back more towards where it SHOULD be.

So TAKE YOUR MEDS, because you NOW have _proof_ that they DO work for you! Don't just decide to go off them because you are feeling better, or because you think that the meds create a stigma. Face the fact, you have this disorder. But you CAN choose to be _smart_ about dealing with it, by staying on your meds AND, when things seem bad, seeing the appropriate doctor to help you adjust dosages, change medications, etc.

I am SURE that your loneliness is fueled by the depression and your general teen angst (which really doesn't help either condition--teens tend to have both depression and loneliness, because they are trying to figure out who they are, who they want to be, and whether or not they will turn out OK--it's a lot of stress!). ;-)

So

- realize the reality of your situation; you DO have bipolar disorder

- accepting THAT, you can't choose to not have it, but you CAN choose to deal with it like a SMART guy--stay on your meds, monitor how you feel, if there are starting to be changes, see a good psychiatrist and get your meds adjusted or changed or whatever

- there is NO stigma; you have a biochemistry imbalance, just like people with diabetes have a sugar/insulin chemical problem...we are biochemical entities, so biochemical problems are par for the course, guy.

- remember, as Scarlett O'Hara says, "Tomorrow IS another day" (emphasis added)--so live to tomorrow and try again to make your life better; keep on plowing ahead and you'll get somewhere.

"We're all in this together; I'm pulling for you." -- "Red Green", title character of "The Red Green Show" (a Canadian one...shown in Michigan on, e.g., PBS).

[And if you want more help, you need support groups and faith, because knowing others understand what is going on with you helps to give you confidence and overcome the loneliness; it removes your isolation. And you have to understand that God wants you to thrive, to have "abundant" life--so find a faith in God.]

I agree with the 1st answer, you should probably be asking her. I think that your first step would probably be to get counseling. That would really help and the counselor could help you and suggest what you do with your friends and stuff. What if you joined an after-school club or sport or something like that? You could meet friends through that, and maybe it could be through your town's park district, not through the school?

Good luck!

Wow, you have girls asking you out? Try my shoes for a DAY, I have depression, social anxiety, OCD & low self esteem.

First off... You are the guy, you need to be asking out girls, not the other way around.