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Sophie_M How are you feeling about the social media restrictions in Australia for under 16s?
  • replies: 14

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are f... View more

Hey everyone With the upcoming Australian social media restriction for under 16-year-olds coming up we want to know what this means for you and maybe even the young people in your life. This conversation is a place for all of us to share how we are feeling and what we think the challenges and benefits might be for you or the wonderful young people in our community. Have you thought about how to stay connected with friends you’ve met online? Are you focused mostly on the positives, or the negatives? What do your parents think, and what could they do to support you? Importantly the Beyond Blue Forums are not impacted by these restrictions, we're here for anyone under 16. In short, from December 10 Social Media companies will need to ensure that only people over 16 actively engage with their platforms. There is a lot of information out there which can make it tricky to know what to expect on when it comes into effect. To learn more we think these are a helpful place to start eSafety commissioner + Headspace FAQs. We know this change will impact some more than others, QLife provide anonymous and free LGBTIQ+ support and 13YARN are here for all Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people. We want to hear your thoughts on how this might impact the mental health of under 16s in both a positive and negative way. The Beyond Blue Forums are a place for constructive and helpful conversation and the regular moderation rules apply which means we look forward to a kind and understanding discussion. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings Sophie M

BeyondBlue New to this Forum? Please read this first!
  • replies: 0

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with tho... View more

Hey there! Welcome to the Young People section of the Beyond Blue Forums. The purpose of this section is to provide members aged 25 and under a space to discuss life issues, tricky situations and the difficult emotions and feelings that come with those. If you are aged over 25, please be mindful that this is a space for younger people to connect and provide support for each other. These forums are moderated, so your posts may not appear straight away. Information on moderation on the Forums can be found here. Being familiar with our Community Guidelines can help ensure that your posts appear online as quickly as possible. If we have concerns about your wellbeing, one of our friendly moderators will check in with you privately to make sure you get the support you need. If you need more immediate support, we recommend reaching out to the following: Beyond Blue Support Service – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1300 22 4636 Headspace – between 9am and 1am (AEST), chat online to a mental health clinician or call 1800 650 890 Kids Helpline – any time, chat online to a counsellor or call 1800 55 1800 Thank you for being here. We’re glad you’ve found us here and hope this can be a supportive space for you Beyond Blue

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Sezza_H Hopeless
  • replies: 5

Hi all, I am a university student who is struggling with severe anxiety and depression which is having a tremendous impact on my academic grades and ability to study and complete uni work. All semester I have been barely scraping by, some assignments... View more

Hi all, I am a university student who is struggling with severe anxiety and depression which is having a tremendous impact on my academic grades and ability to study and complete uni work. All semester I have been barely scraping by, some assignments I’ve managed to pass while others I’ve failed (safe to say my academic performance has been quite varied but nonetheless I am sitting below average). I am miles behind in lectures so much so that I am not even sure where to start. Now, I’ve got two exams coming up which I haven’t studied for and an essay due which I haven’t even started, all of which is coming up this week and next week. I can’t quite describe how I am feeling at this point; I feel super stressed, my chest feels tight and sometimes I feel like its hard to breathe. I feel sad, alone and so disappointed with myself. And you would think that I would be studying for my upcoming exams/essay like an absolute mad woman but instead I have been wallowing and procrastinating like crazy. I don’t even want to think about it let alone actually sit down and study. I have been overeating to the point where I feel sick, glued to my laptop, rarely getting out of bed yet I am so exhausted. And I am so confused as to why I continue to do this to myself. Everyone around me is studying and revising and here I am, haven’t been out of my room in days and haven’t touched my books in weeks. I feel hopeless and I’m not sure what to do. I’ve got so much riding on this semester but at this stage passing seems like such an improbability. I can’t fail again. Thanks for reading and giving me a platform to offload x

Juice5647 i just don't know what to do
  • replies: 2

i feel really stupid writing this because i know their are people way worse off than me. i should probably introduce myself, my names cali i have did (dis-associative personality disorder), depression, severe ptsd from a near fatal assault and more. ... View more

i feel really stupid writing this because i know their are people way worse off than me. i should probably introduce myself, my names cali i have did (dis-associative personality disorder), depression, severe ptsd from a near fatal assault and more. luck y me, huh? i live in the ghetto and in a area where gangs are everywhere and am constantly yelled at. and of course being puerto rican means i get called racist things less now. anyway i have a normal teenage girl problem at the moment i have a problem with eating. see the thing is even when i'm not hungry i can't stop myself from eating and it's physically making me sick. but i do realise this isn't a real problem not like eating disorders like anorexia or stuff like that. i'm sorry for wasting your time. just sometimes it's nice to get things off your chest without people screaming at you. trust me i'm not looking for pity just a place to acknowledged

Weiss_May 17 and lost?
  • replies: 3

Well i dont normally do this but... ive had depression since i was 8yrs old and im 17 now, and since its been off and on, i feel lost most of the time, like im missing something and ive tried to figure it out and i just can't. I've read a few post on... View more

Well i dont normally do this but... ive had depression since i was 8yrs old and im 17 now, and since its been off and on, i feel lost most of the time, like im missing something and ive tried to figure it out and i just can't. I've read a few post on here by people, they dont completely match how i feel besides this one post which i keep going back to read because its exactly how i feel. I dont feel emotions and if i do it doesnt last long anyway, i dont get sad,angry, happy or anything really, i dont have self pity or any of it.. i honestly dont care how someone else feels, even if they are in pain in front of me.. i hate talking to people.. anything to do with social interaction is a waste of time to me. I've had a few relationships but i seem to get bored of them easily, i would fall in love with the person and then it would slip away, and i have hurt quite a few people by it. i dont know what else to say uhh

Kianna falling behind, relationships, body image
  • replies: 2

I never thought I'd actually end up posting here. I've tried to in the past but could never really find the right words, that and I'm borderline illiterate thanks to stan twitter, but we wont get into that. Granted I still don't know what I'm doing, ... View more

I never thought I'd actually end up posting here. I've tried to in the past but could never really find the right words, that and I'm borderline illiterate thanks to stan twitter, but we wont get into that. Granted I still don't know what I'm doing, this is just my last little cry for help, I guess. Before we delve into it, I should probably introduce myself. Hi, the name's Kianna. There's not much to me really. I'm just a tired year 10 student born to a low-income family that is ultimately falling apart. So, I have crippling body dysmorphia and am clinically depressed. Obviously, this makes it very hard to do very basic things. As a student it isn't helpful when the only thing occupying the forefront of your mind is "you're fat, you're ugly, you're stupid" constantly. I don't even want to leave my house, and because of this my attendance is awful. It's always been bad, worse even. I made a huge effort at the start of this year, and it was great for a while, but I've fallen back into this self-destructive loop where I go from being super elated and motivated to wallowing in my own self-hatred and denying myself a crumb of happiness. I'm behind on my school work as well, having not actually been there and all. The hardest thing is knowing how capable I am of doing it, it's being on the brink of ending it all half of the time that's holding me back. With my poor attendance, lack of self-esteem and depressive episodes it's been very hard for me to maintain relationships with people my age (that, and I'm literally the most socially inept person on the planet). I've been used and abused throughout my life, these mental walls have come up because of it. I want to let people in, to have a pack (for lack of a better word, I'm not a furry, don't get it twisted) and to just feel like me again, cause damn I haven't seen that girl in a long time. ah so there's my rant for today. I'd like to talk some more about the fragility of my mental state and my whole family situation (it's a real doozy), but I'm a rambler. I like to turn everything into a bloody essay and this character count is making me anxious, so I'll stop here. congratulations if you've read all of this, and sorry lol. any advise is much appreciated, I'm not in a great place right now and I'll take any help I can get. thanks, Kianna

We_Can_Get_Through_It Mum doesn't understand
  • replies: 3

I'm in a dilemma right now and I don't know what to do. After about a year of keeping my anger issues and depression kept in, I told my mum I wanted to see a therapist. Due to trust issues I haven't been able to talk to anyone. I tell her I want to s... View more

I'm in a dilemma right now and I don't know what to do. After about a year of keeping my anger issues and depression kept in, I told my mum I wanted to see a therapist. Due to trust issues I haven't been able to talk to anyone. I tell her I want to see a therapist and the day after (today) we go to my grandparents for a celebration dinner about my aunt and uncle getting engaged. I have a massive exam tomorrow but she still makes me go?? She then proceeds to tell one of my uncles (as if it was a joke) that I wanted to see a therapist?? I don't know what to do but I feel like this really put a dent into an already banged up relationship. Any advice?

wildcat101 i think i’m depressed but idk
  • replies: 1

I don’t have a clinical opinion but i just want some advice about how i’m feeling. i am afraid i have depression, some days i feel perfectly normal and some days i just feel like complete shit and just want to stay home and cry. also sometimes i woul... View more

I don’t have a clinical opinion but i just want some advice about how i’m feeling. i am afraid i have depression, some days i feel perfectly normal and some days i just feel like complete shit and just want to stay home and cry. also sometimes i would be feeling fine then all of a sudden my mood just changes and feel crap again. like in a seconds difference. I play a lot of sport at high level and i heard that helps. during the time i am playing i feel great and i go on forever but as soon as i get in the car my parent always rant on about the game and it puts me in a shit mood again. I am also struggling with friends at school and recently moved into new classes. Is this normal or am i depressed. also i think i might have anxiety. Mostly with people judging me. I often turn around and walk the other way even at school cause i just can’t cope. my hands sweat and i go all shaky. this is really weird for me because around my friends i feel completely fine and i can be myself but when it comes to new people there a bit of a problem. if i think i say something weird to someone the rest of the day the whole moment just keeps replaying in my head and i can’t stop thinking about it the whole day. i also would just be randomly in class and a memory comes back in my head and i keep regretting what i said or someone else said. like the other day i didn’t finish my homework because i was afraid i would put the wrong answer down so i told my teacher that i hadn’t finished it she replied with “here she is” to this day things keep poping up in my head like what if the teachers talk about me and in the past i was good at the start of the year but often drop down and don’t complete things later in the year. like what if she meant like “here she is the student who is good at the start but then stops handing in things” and other things as well. it’s not like i just am a worrier i often avoid things because i get too nervous. it’s not like i just do this sometimes it practically every day. at school my bus gets to school earlier the my friends so i have to wait around. i get too scared to just stand by our lockers cause i think people are going to judge me for being a loner so most mornings i just sit in the toilet stall and sometimes cry if i’m in a shit mood. Anyway i was just hoping for some advice cause i feel i can’t talk to anyone else. my older brother is in gear 12 and he has some learning problems so i feel i can’t talk to my parents cause it’s all about him.

Andrew578 Teenager: Stress, worrying, anxiety and depression
  • replies: 6

Hey Guys, this is my first thread. I'm 16 years old, for the past two years I have had a lot of problems and school, home and socially. I struggle with all of these factors and for this reason i have developed an eating disorder now. I get really str... View more

Hey Guys, this is my first thread. I'm 16 years old, for the past two years I have had a lot of problems and school, home and socially. I struggle with all of these factors and for this reason i have developed an eating disorder now. I get really stressed about school and always worrings, stressing about studying and if i'm not studying i feel guilty. Whenever I go out with friends I never enjoy myself like before and I always get anxious and worry about everything especially when it comes to food. I am super skinny at 49kg and haven't grown an inch since year 7 (always on my mind, everyone else is way taller than me and bigger) anyway so i started going to the gym recently, and have developed a huge interest in the gym (been going consistently 5-6 days a week for a couple months. However I haven't seen good muscle gains due to the fact I am not eating enough which comes back to my eating disorder. It's a vicious cycle I stress about school ect then I start stressing about food and then this leads to poor training in the gym no muscle gains and just the cycle continues. I don't know what to do. I am always unhappy never smiling never talking, i am always tired and lethargic. Could anyone please recommend some tips or anything please. Thank you

BBUser36 Born into a Religious Cult.
  • replies: 1

Hello! I'm not exactly sure on how to word all of this, so I'll try my best Ever since I was born, I have been apart of a religious cult (that shall remain unnamed for personal reasons). While I am still apart of it technically, I have mentally left ... View more

Hello! I'm not exactly sure on how to word all of this, so I'll try my best Ever since I was born, I have been apart of a religious cult (that shall remain unnamed for personal reasons). While I am still apart of it technically, I have mentally left for a while now; just to make things clear, I am in not physical danger what so ever. This cult was especially good at controlling every thought and action that crossed my mind, what I wore, who I spoke to and what I could do and or celebrate. This along with the fact that I will most likely be cut off from a lot of friends/family I've know all my life when I come out as gay, controls my emotions 24/7. While I have mentally checked out of this cult for a while now, I am still governed by the fears and mindset that was instilled in me as a child. I could list hundreds of fears I have from this mindset, but the major ones I feel are the fear of talking to people outside of the religion, the fear that I'm being watched and judged 24/7 and disappointing my family/friends if I leave or do something wrong. There is a lot more I could add to this, but for the sake of brevity I will keep it short. Depression and anxiety have had a foothold on my soul for a long period of time now, if I had to guess when it started, it would be when I was 12/13 (Im 17 at the moment). I struggle to leave my house for anything besides school at this point, and have hardly ever hung out with any of my friends (especially if they were outside of the religion), and in some ways I feel like the only emotions I've felt for these years are depressed and anxious as they only seem to get worse and worse the older I get. I feel so disconnected from the emotive and colourful lives people my age are living, I've always struggled to hold a conversation and make friends because I'm naturally quiet and can't shake the feeling that what I'm doing is hurting my family. The part that seems to trigger my depression the most is the fact that many people cannot relate to what I'm going through at all, because most people aren't in a cult and have been able to feel positive emotions for the past few years. I've tried therapy, but with no luck sadly. I know very well that most people won't know how to react to this, but its been on my chest for a long time and I am in desperate need in finding help and or advice on what to do from here Thank you so much for reading.

yeet_ might be homeless soon
  • replies: 4

my mom and i are both broke af (she doesn't have a stable job either, or helpful parents, friends, etc.) and we've been living with her 73 yr old so-called 'partner' for the last 6 ish years. he's a multi-millionaire (obviously my mum has never liked... View more

my mom and i are both broke af (she doesn't have a stable job either, or helpful parents, friends, etc.) and we've been living with her 73 yr old so-called 'partner' for the last 6 ish years. he's a multi-millionaire (obviously my mum has never liked him and never will, she just needs money to support us and i feel really guilty for it) and since he has money, he's been 'providing' food , money, school supplies, etc. for us . my biological dad obviously lives separately from us and unfortunately doesn't have much money either, plus he's an inhuman physically violent psychopathic monster (though it's not his fault, i still love him and it's all his abusive father's fault for raising him that way), so long story short we have nowhere else to go if we're kicked out. I mean, my mom's brother just so happens to be a multi millionaire who could easily support us, but he doesn't care about us and lives in America. anyways, so i've already been through a lot of physical, psychological and emotional abuse/shit with all of my mom's previous abusive crazy partners (once again, not her fault) and whilst the current one isn't physically abusive, he's very controlling (he treats us like animals and makes us feel like shit for not being able to afford food whenever we ask for as little as 20 bucks) and he constantly threatens to kick us out on the streets, but i never really took it seriously. But im genuinely scared that now, because of me, we're gonna be homeless. it all started when we were eating dinner and watching the news, then something about Trump came on, then I asked (to no one in particular) about why trump was at that particular meeting. After that, i made a joke about how bigoted he was. an innocent joke. Next thing I know, my step-dads screaming at me that "trump did nothing wrong' that 'hes not bigoted' and that 'hes a good president'. fine, whatever, his opinion (i already know for a fact that my step dads very sexist and racist but whatever) THEN, he starts screaming that he hates black people, hates jews, hates gay people, etc and since im gay and trans I get pissed, start yelling back, I call trump a person who fuels hate, etc. anddd just like that i've started WW5...it escalated more than any fight ive ever had with him, then we started personally insulting each other, i called him out on the way he's been treating/controlling us for years, it got physically violent and he GENUINELY wants me out of the house NOW, to pack my bags and leave... help?

kozziempty Dysthymia.
  • replies: 7

I dont know how many times I have googled "I overcame dysthymia" only to find that there is not one person who claims to be in complete remission. I dont want to be like this forever. Its not fair. How can you feel so disconnected and spiritually dea... View more

I dont know how many times I have googled "I overcame dysthymia" only to find that there is not one person who claims to be in complete remission. I dont want to be like this forever. Its not fair. How can you feel so disconnected and spiritually dead fundamentally for the rest of your life? Has anybody gotten their memory back or their ability to think creatively? I just want to hear that my life isnt essentially a right off now.