Hormones or Depression

[DownstreamPixel]

Hi, I'm a 12 year old girl in my last year of Primary School, and I don't know what is happening to me. I feel as though I have depression or anxiety, but people keep telling me that it's hormones and that it will all go away in a few years. I get upset about small things and never feel happy, a fake smile always on my face. My brother has depression (he's 19 and has already sorted it out) and my mum had depression. On the test on the Beyond Blue home page and I got a score of 37, high. I went to the doctors and they said I was just hyper emotional because I was growing up. But does that really make it normal to almost never be happy?

[Narniakid]

Hi DownstreamPixel, welcome to the forums and thank you for sharing with us. 

There is logic in what you have been told from the doctor, as the transition from primary school and into your teenage years is a tough experience for some, I struggled with it myself. However, considering your brother and mother have experienced depression, it could be hereditary. How is your home life? Are you stressed at school? Are you getting enough sleep and eating a proper diet? All of these things contribute to your mental health. 

What I suggest you do is keep a diary of each day's events and how you feel about it and any other anxieties. I also suggest you keep a mood chart (Google 'black dog mood chart' and download a copy of the PDF), as this is really helpful to examine what time of day and how often your mood is rising and falling.

Also ask your school about any counselling services available to you. Most schools have an on-site counsellor.

Remember that negative thoughts are just reactions to fear and anxiety thrives on avoidance.

Crystal

[Mike_101]

Hi DownstreamPixel

There is never really only one thing that causes someone to feel in a particular mood or mindset and its more a combination of factors that all build on one another. So yes the Dr.'s and the people who tell you that it's normal to feel a certain way because of hormones are probably correct. But also having a brother and a mother who have had depression can also make someone depressed. However while certain traits might run in families it's not a 100% guarantee that everyone in that family will all suffer the same emotional conditions.

When your feeling depressed if you worry your current mood will mean you have a lifetime of depression like your brother or mother, well that isn't exactly accurate. If you have a bad day at school or have an argument with a friend or family member, then yes you will feel sad and upset and depressed. But that is no indication that you will have long term depression as many factors will attribute to that, not just if your brother or mother have depression.

If you can take note of what makes you feel the anxiety or depression (sadness) then you might be able to better learn what are the triggers. If your mum is having a bad day this will probably give you a bad day, if your worried about school this might be a trigger for anxiety. If you think about why your unhappy - be it family, school, boys, friends etc. then it will make it easier to work into finding a way to make you happier by reducing the things that make you unhappy.

Kind regards
Mike