young and hopeless

[Jimmyyy]

I'm a fifteen year old boy who feels like he's worth nothing. I don't know what caused me to start feeling like this I guess I might be the overwhelming feeling of tests and exams, but that was a while ago now and I'm only feeling worse. I've grown up all my life being told that kids and teenagers shouldn't feel 'depressed' or any feelings like that because we still have time to enjoy things, "enjoy your youth while you have it". I constantly have break downs when I have the house to myself because I get overwhelmed by all the things that are going on and the feelings in my head, and it sucks because I feel as being a teen there are less places to seek for help without being judged, I don't want to talk to my parents about it because I am scared they are either going to lecture me or get me a phycologist blowing all their money away just for me to talk about my stupid feelings; so I've started doing a diary entry because I heard that helped, a bit like what I'm writing now but a bit more personal, I guess its my why of speaking out about my mental health issues, I could rant onto this website for thousands of words about how I feel disconnected from society and how worthless I feel to everyone, but that would just be dumb. I don't know why I started writing this I had no plan or end goal, Im not looking for any anyones sympathy I guess this just was a message, maybe a message to parents; everyone struggles with mental health, no matter how old, I'm not telling you to check up on your kids but I'm saying to maybe let them have a bit of personal time, let them do what they want for a change, that will not only make them love you but themselves also.

[Sophie_M]

Dear Jimmyyy,

Welcome to the forum and thank you so much for posting here tonight. We're glad you found your way here.

It's interesting to hear some of the 'sayings' that we have as a culture, and to note that they can have such a negative impact on our own belief systems and sometimes perpetuate low self esteem. We can hear that your inner voice has been set up to believe that kids and teenagers shouldn't feel 'depressed' or have 'any feelings like that', and that you should just "enjoy your youth while you have it", etc... Jimmyyy, you're right. These things just aren't true and those sayings just aren't helpful. In fact, they're very inaccurate and create feelings of inadequacy instead.

Being a teen is one of the most difficult phases of many people's lives. The teenage years can be full of emotions that swing, depressive periods, anger, struggles, peer and social pressures, physical changes and the list goes on...

Please know that whilst not being happy and experiencing mood swings etc happens to most teenagers at some stage, that doesn't mean that you should suffer in silence, nor does it mean that you shouldn't seek help. We hear that you're worried about expensive psychologists etc, and how your parents might react, so maybe it might be a great idea for you to continue the great work you've started (diary writing and sharing here), and maybe you might also be willing to consider reaching out to one of our webchat counsellors or even kidshelpline for a brief chat? 

We're free, available 24/7, confidential, non-judgemental and we want to hear from you. You're important to us and we don't care if it's big or small - we just care that you have somewhere to go and feel supported.

Looking forward to reading what our wonderful community members have to share with you, and hope to hear from you soon.

Kind regards, 

Sophie M

[Petal22]

Hi Jimmy,

Im sorry you are feeling this way.

I understand feeling worthless wouldn’t be a very nice feeling.

You are worthy and you are loved more than you will ever know.

I also understand that feeling overwhelmed Is sometimes a very distressing feeling to feel.

Yoy aren’t being judged and if you were a adult or a teenager a health professional won’t judge you.

I understand that you feel talking to parents won’t be helpful but you can give it a go they might surprise you with their reaction.

Maybe you could talk to your parents about taking you to see a gp so you can discuss how you are feeling? If you want to…

Mental health conditions can effect anyone it doesn’t discriminate and age is no barrier.

I agree with you that children need to have free time to give them a chance just to enjoy being in the present moment.

Thank you for reaching out to us, please feel free to add to your thread anytime.

We are listening.

[geoff]

Hello Jimmyyy, if I can get this into perspective, you do require all the support we want to give you, and there is nothing wrong with this, because as much as there is to enjoy in life, there becomes a time when people your age start to question what's actually going on and it's not how the older generation makes out as it should be.

At your age it's a difficult stage you're at, because you are at the cusp of becoming an adult and the change from an adolescent to an adult is enormous, so there must be so many questions you want to ask.

Your parents can ask your doctor for a 'mental health plan', this entitles you to 20 Medicare paid sessions, so your parents don't have to pay for these sessions and when you turn 16 you can go to your doctor by yourself.

You seem to be a great kid with much advice for all of us, well done.

Geoff.

Life Member.