Do I have a mental disorder?

I read a lot and I%26#039;ve been doing researching, and I KNOW something%26#039;s wrong with me. I have a lot of mood swings, I cry a lot, over little things or for no reason at all, I feel sad a lot and I can%26#039;t even explain why, and I feel as though my life is one living hell and things will never get better. I%26#039;m a freshman in high school, and the big problem is....my family knows NONE of this. I do a pretty good job of hiding these emotions...I%26#039;ll put on a smile and act bubbly for my family, but behind closed doors when I%26#039;m all one, my thoughts start racing and I start crying and having bad thoughts and wishing bad things. Any advice? And something else with/besides talking to my mom about it, because if you were in my shoes, you%26#039;d understand why that would be a bad idea.

Do I have a mental disorder?
I understand. I went through the same thing as a teenager. I finally was diagnosed with depression. You may have a mild form of depression. I didn%26#039;t tell my parents because they were always telling me to get over it. Talk to a counselor at school, he or she may be able to help you get the assistance you need. You may just need someone to talk to, or you may have to be put on antidepressants for awhile.


You could try to do things to keep yourself busy and active so you don%26#039;t have so much down time to think about how bad life is. You could start volunteering somewhere or get a job. I know that exercise also helps in feeling better.
Reply:Ask to see the doctor, and confide in him/her what you are feeling. Then you can even ask the doctor to break the news to your parents if you cannot face them
Reply:Sweetie...Please find someone to talk to!! A friends mother, a counselor at your school, a trusted teacher at school, a pastor, Close relative...SOMEONE!!! Things are never truly as bad as they seem right now....Please !!!!!! I wish you the best...and find someone to talk to!!!!
Reply:XD ummm lets see %26quot;drama%26#039; is part of a girls like i mean i don%26#039;t know how to say this cuss im a guy but thats sound just like a normal girl =) i think your perfectly fine mood swings don%26#039;t even talk to me about it....
Reply:You can%26#039;t talk to your mom about serious issues-there%26#039;s a big problem right there that proves that you have family issues, and your mother might be a cold person. That in itself can cause you to be mental. Talk to a school conselor and eduacate yourself on mental illness.
Reply:What you describe are definitely symptoms of a mental disorder. Depression and bipolar disorder are two that have these symptoms you describe. The crying doesn%26#039;t even have to have a trigger. And these disorders are often first triggered in teen years.





Many people don%26#039;t understand what a mental disorder is, and the first words out of their mouths are, %26quot;Get a grip,%26quot; or %26quot;Snap out of it,%26quot; or %26quot;Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps.%26quot; People--well-meaning, compassionate, intelligent people--do this because they don%26#039;t understand the problem is physical.





Mental disorders are physical disorders, caused by upset brain chemistry. The only way you can tell that your brain %26quot;hurts%26quot; is by behavior.





Sleep disturbance, crying, and behavior that disrupts your life (spending sprees, staying home from school too much, etc.) are the ways doctors recognize something is wrong in this way.





I do recommend you talk to a counselor of some sort. I%26#039;d also recommend talking to your family doctor about it.





A doctor diagnoses your flu by looking at your throat, listening to your lungs, and listening to you describe where it hurts. Often a doctor doesn%26#039;t need to do a throat culture to recognize that you have the flu, but that is a test he can perform if he feels it necessary.





In a similar fashion, a psychiatrist can observe your behavior in her office, listen to you describe your woes, and ask you about your behavior and medical history in order to figure out whether the illness is a mental disorder or not. Often an MRI or PET is not necessary to diagnose this, but these tests are available to the doctor if she feels it medically necessary.





If you want to know more or are looking for a support group, I recommend DBSAlliance.org





I wish you well.
Reply:wow i%26#039;m in exactly the same situation. i don%26#039;t know whats wrong with me though. so i%26#039;m waiting for the answers:)
Reply:It sounds like depression but I%26#039;m NO doctor, I think you need to see a professional on this one, especially if you%26#039;ve been feeling like this for awhile. And I agree talking to parents is not always a good idea, it depends alot on the relationship..Good Luck %26amp; get some real help...
Reply:i dont think u should post this worldwide.
Reply:None of us here are licensed to diagnose your symptoms. You do seem to be experiencing some signs of a mood disorder. Since your mom is off limits, I would suggest a guidance counselor, teacher, or another adult whom you trust.





Good luck and take care of you!


Dee
Reply:hmm i think u need to sneek out at midnight take a skinny dip have fun. its high school. go out do dumb things for no reason but to do it. and be a teenage girl, stop being afraid of these things u have the world at ur feet
Reply:Since you feel discussing personal things with your parents will not be helpful, the next best person would be the school guidance counselor. He or she is a trained professional, and will be able to determine if you need to see someone in the mental health field, or whether counseling sessions in school would work for you.
Reply:These feelings seem perfectly normal to me. Believe me every fourteen or fifteen year old girl feels like the whole earth is falling apart! Just wait it out, your hormones will even out eventually. There is so much pressure on teenagers, and sometimes you just need a way to get it out. No worries. Every time you are in a really stressful time, just take deep breaths and cry. Believe it or not but everyone needs a good cry now and then. :)





Don%26#039;t worry, all things pass. Soon you will be more stable. Mood swings are perfectly normal, it%26#039;s just the ups and downs of life.





It%26#039;s tough stuff being a teenage girl, I completely relate!



under my skin