Is anyone willing help me with my anxiety and depression?

Question

I am a 13 year old girl dealing with full blown anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. Is anyone willing to help me out? Can anyone share with me how they dealt with these problems and give me suggestions on how to get better? Thanks!

i suppose i should have added that i have gone to a doctor and a therapist. They all told me to get on meds. That wasn't going to happen because my parents are strictly against perscription meds. now im kinda stuck because the doctor, therapist, and my family didnt really give me the help i am in need of.... now im trying to face all this alone and... failing miserably.... Oh and not to worry... i dont cut or have suicide thoughts...yet... T-T

Answer 1

I'm thirteen and have the same problems too. My parents didn't believe me when I told them after a month of feeling really down. So I gave up on telling them and started getting worse, cutting, crying, hating myself, feeling guilty, failing school, and getting suicidal thoughts. It took four months of feeling this way for my parents to take me to the doctor, and then if took about six months for them to find the right medication. (they're still working on the dose, sleeping med, (insomnia) and if i need meds for my ADHD
Anyway, the point of the story is that you need to find help before you get worse. Depression won't get better on it's own. Go to www.suicide.com . It has information on how to be helped even if your parents are against medications. here are some more I know from experience

Don't have caffeine! It makes you feel better for a little while, and then way worse. It's the same with sugar. Doctors recommend you have lots of vitamins, and very little simple sugars as well.

Pay attention to your thoughts. You will find they are usually bad. Get a rubber band and put it around your wrist. Whenever you get a bad thought, tell yourself mentally or out loud to be quiet and snap the rubber band.

Do sports! It releases a chemical in your brain that helps. Doctors recommend that people with depression should at least get 20 min. daily.

Surround yourself with people that are posotive and happy. Do not shut yourself in your room all by yourself like I did. It made me worse.

Just email or message me with any questions.

Answer 2

At 13, suffering from anxiety and depression is completely normal. I cannot stress enough how many outrageous changes you are or will be going through mentally, emotionally, and physically. At this point in your life, I would suspect that medication could only help so much. It could alter and perhaps stabilize your mental state, but it couldn't treat the real causes of the problem, which is, unfortunately, growing up. Do you have a good friend you can talk to when you start to get panicky? A "quiet place" you can retreat to when you're feeling overwhelmed? Sharing your feelings with a friend can help immensely. When you don't feel like you can talk to anyone about your feelings, try writing out your thoughts or drawing. I used to have trouble simply laying it out on paper, so I would use poetry. Focusing on the structure helped me. I also enjoyed making abstract art, because it could be anything I wanted it to be, and I didn't have to explain it to anybody. Immersing yourself in a good book is a good way to escape reality for a little while, too. Sometimes that's all you need.

I hope that I was able to help some. I'm sure that your doctor can tell you better than I can whether or not your emotional extremes are normal, but since medication is not an option at this point, it is important for you to try and control this yourself. Recognize your triggers and avoid them if you can, or try some of the suggestions above to deal with them. Above all, just remember that you're not alone, and that this, too, shall pass.

Answer 3

I'm not a doctor, just some guy that went through a bad divorce. The issues that I was dealing with led me to angry thoughts that eventually would cause and aniety attack. Once I realized what was happening, I learned to control it, but stopping whatever actiuon I was doing at the time...usually at work, and taking a few steps away. Then I would say to myself, that I am thinking about this too much, and no good would come of it. Take a few deep breaths and as I was doing so, pretend that in each breath, I am blowing out the anger, the pain, the issues, that I was dealing with.
In my line of work, medication leads to amputations. I just couldn't see being spaced out on Xanex all day becuse I was having a crappy few months.
This really helped me, but it's something you have to have a strong mind to do. Your'e only 13, so maybe the meds will help you. Best of Luck to you. Something else to try is to think that as bad as you might think things seem there are people far worse than you. Sometimes this will cheer you up.

Answer 4

You're at a tough age to be going through something so serious. I started having anxiety, (majorly full blown panic attacks), fear, and depression at your exact age. I too went to a Dr. and started on meds. I understand your parents don't agree with prescription meds but sometimes it isn't the med that is not wanted, it is the stigma of the disease. Unfortunately there is still somewhat of a bad stigma about mental health and problems there of. But remember mental health issues are no different than any other physical disease. If you had diabetes or cancer would they let you take the meds? The sad part is that there really is help out there. You cannot talk to your parents about this so I suggest you talk to someone at school or another adult that you trust. If they don't understand try someone else. I am still on low doses of meds but I went through things I would never wish on anyone. Once you get on the meds take them faithfully, if you need therapy go faithfully. Just because you feel better one day means nothing. What you are experiencing is real and can become tragic. Please get help. You know you need help as you reached out here. Help is no farther than a phone call or internet connection away. Please don't waste anymore time. Take matters into your hands now so you don't suffer as long and hard as I did. I do very well now. I got my Master's Degree and am finally really happy with myself. Don't forget, you have to love yourself in order for you to help yourself. Everything you are experiencing is treatable. You were smart enough to ask, now please, please, be smart enough to reach out for help. Good luck and God Bless.

Answer 5

I have pretty much those same problems. I had a panic attack once during class, and it put me in the hospital, because I couldn't breathe. You could try finding a religion, that helped me a lot. Basically, the thing that would help the most is if your parents got over their aversion to meds. Medication is really important for dealing with that stuff. And please, don't even think about hurting yourself, it only makes your problems worse. I used to cut, and I tried to kill myself three times last year. I got on the right meds, and now I am doing a lot better.

Answer 6

Your anxiety,panic attacks may cause you to be depressed because you feel like there is nothing you can do to get better. My daughter had the same thing happening to her she would wake up at night and she could hardly get her breath and her heart would be racing, when we took her to the Dr. he told her that she had a valve in her heart that didn't close at the right time that caused her panic and anxiety attacks, he gave her a heart monitor to ware for 24 hrs, The Dr. then put her on high blood pressure medicine and how she is fine....she is 17 yrs old...she is young like you, but the Dr.said it was the only way to fix the problem. Tell your Mom and Dad how you feel, they will listen I'm sure hope you get better really soon. Good Luck and hang in there everything will be fine you will see.

Answer 7

First of all, listen to Moonface's advice. He or she knows what they are talking about. Also you may want to give your parents more information about prescription meds. They do not necessarily have to be taken for life; I had panic disorder at 19 and took Xanax. By age 20, I had been weaned off the meds and haven't had a debilitating panic attack since. I also did CBT (cognitive-behavior therapy) and diaphragmatic breathing - again, see Moonface's entry for a further description. Now I'm a mental health therapist myself! Good luck :)

Answer 8

sweetheart, since your parents are against prescription medication ask if you can get some St. Johns Wort...it is an over the counter medication and I've heard that it is pretty good at helping to control depression.....Also, try to get back into counsel ling, it can really help you deal with all your issues and there are some good agencies out there with excellent counsel ling services available. If you attend church or synagogue or have any type of religious affiliation, go to the minister and ask for their counsel. If you want, you can email me....I am quite a bit older than you but I've been where you are and a lot of times it helps just to have someone to talk to whether they have a degree behind their name or not.

Answer 9

I suffered from depression and anxiety for several years and it took me years to find the right medication. I take Wellbutrin, Zoloft and Abilify and today I have no symptoms at all. Without my medication, I was a total wreck. Panic attacks would cause my whole body to become numb and I couldn't breathe.

I suggest you tell your family doctor what you are going through. He/she can try to get you on the right meds where you will calm down and enjoy life more fully.

For tonight, you might try reading the Book of Psalms in the Bible. It brings me comfort in times of trouble. And ask God for guidance so you will know who to turn to in order to get help. Good Luck!

Answer 10

Without meds, it's tough to fight these ailments. However, my dr. suggested I take fish oil supplements. He thought that might help me with my depression and anxiety disorder.

A couple of homespun remedies--Exercise. Exercise is one of the best ways to deal with anxiety. It helps depression, too, because you create some endorphins while exercising that actually make you happier.

Meditation--I've noticed that my anxiety is at least temporarily soothed by meditation. Sitting in a quiet, nonthreatening place, listening to your own deep breathing or a phrase that soothes you. I used to say, "Peace & Quiet." and picture myself in a bubble bath. After practice, I've been able to let troubles slide by while I relax.

Give these suggestions a try. If you don't get any relief, my sister practices Xi, an ancient Chinese medical practice, which is similar to acupuncture without the needles. It releases energy which may be congested in a certain part of your body, it releases the energy to heal other parts which may be causing your illness. Anyway, if you're interested in that type of medicine (painless, med-free) e-mail me, and I'll send you along. Here is the address of the university where she learned to practice.