Suffered in silence
17 year old female
I have been depressed for about a year and a half now. Some days are a lot better than others, but it's always there. It all started during year 11, when I started to feel really stressed and tired, then down and depressed.
Eventually I started to hurt myself and not eat properly and really hate life, so I went to the school counsellor, which took a lot of courage. I never told anyone, not even my parents or my best friend. Everyone saw me as happy and cute. I was doing well at school and sport, and a good musician as well, and I was talkative and polite - basically, people thought my life was perfect even though I was tearing myself up inside. It nearly killed me to hear praise when all I could think was "you're all wrong, I'm a failure and messed up".
I have literally suffered in silence so make sure you always talk to your friends, or your family, because they are the ones who will get you through the tough times. I am a normal girl. I am not especially talented or outstanding, or a loser. Just a normal person, which goes to show that depression can affect anyone. I even felt like I had disappointed the counsellor, so I started lying and telling her that I felt better, which is why I turned to Kids Helpline. I'm a bit better now, but it's always there.
