am i depressed? what should i do?

[deprikittyideklol]

so i’m 16 (female) and since two months i’m feeling depressed and it’s getting worse and worse. i’m not seeing any friends anymore bc i feel like i’m a burden to them and bc i don’t like myself and don’t know how to act and stuff eventhough i know these people for so long. i’m actually a kind of popular person. like normal but absolutely not an outsider. i’ve always been the type to think about stuff a lot. in the last time i often felt like it’s very hard to move. and i’m afraid of going to some public places like the gym lately like my parents push me to go there but then i’m just sitting in front of it waiting for the time to go there so i’m just pretending i was there.. i don’t have any motivation for anything for example i actually like making music but i didn’t do anything in the last two months only one or two times for a few minutes.. so i often just lay in bed and hope that the day ends soon. sometimes i wake up and i’m ok and then my mood is getting worse and worse throughout the day. but sometimes i also wake up and think that i wanna go back to bed and never get up again. i often have light headaches. i start to cry really really fast and sometimes also without a reason for example when i do yoga i think of nOTHing and start to cry. and if someone asks if i’m fine i also need to hold back the tears. but sometimes like once a week or every two weeks i also have like good days where i don’t feel like i’m depressed. and also i don’t have much problems falling asleep and i also don’t wake up early but i’m often kind of tired. i also can’t concentrate. this is the third time i’m having a phase like this. the first one was 3 years ago and lasted 6months or so. it was terrible but i can’t identify with the person i was back then anymore.. a lot was different and also worse but the main things are the same. the second phase was last year for a month i guess. and that wasn’t tooo bad bc it didn’t last that long but i cried A LOT. i can’t remember much though idk why.

my questions:
do you think i’m depressed?
should i go to see a therapist? i think yes actually.
i started taking pills yesterday (5 htp) that are natural and homeopathic but they give serotonin to the brain which makes you happy. i feel better today and it says that it can heal depression but i feel like if they really work my brain still isn’t fixed so should i see a therapist then even if i feel better? or should i just not take them until i am diagnosed? or is the problem fixed if they work?

sorry for the language and stuff i’m not english or american

[CompassPath]

I am going through something along the lines of what you are handling, only when I want to cry, I cant.  Mine has been going on for a year now, and I am no expert, but I think the symptoms you present are very clear signs of depression.  For the first question where you asked if you should see a therapist, I agree with you and I do think you should.  But possibly you could see your school counselor first to see if it is worth seeing a therapist because you might not like it if you do see a therapist and then not be able to leave.  I don't have any experience with anything similar to pills only because I don't take any meds, but I wouldn't take whatever you're taking until someone that is an expert or is highly educated with what you are taking agrees that what you are taking isn't harmful and that you wouldn't get easily addicted.  I could honestly see anybody getting hooked onto pills that make your mood brighter, for instance, if you feel down and feel like you need more than you normally take you could just pop them.   After so many times you could get dependent on them and you couldn't be happy without them, which in other words would mean addiction.  I hope that some part of my 14-year-old inexperienced writing helps somehow with your current situation.  I wish you luck!

[del677]

My experience with depression and antidepressant medication is the medication does not make me happy, instead it fixes the underlying problem so i can be happy. I still need to do things that i enjoy to be happy, and i am still susceptible to depression if i do not take care of myself and do enough things that i enjoy.

I also learned I'm happy when I'm not wondering if I am happy or depressed. If I am wondering if I am depressed and unsure, then something is wrong.

I noticed you mentioned your parents want you to go to the gym, and to appease them you pretend to go. This makes me wonder if your parents could be causing you stress or contributing to depression. That is something you could discuss with a therapist.

In addition to fixing any body problems (mind/body) there may be other issues to deal with, and those issues could be discussed with a counselor or therapist. (I use both terms interchangeably.)

Best wishes hope you feel better. Oh and i have been surprised how many other people know aboit depression and understand. There are a lot of people who do!

[CurfewX]

It's not possible for anyone to diagnose you over the internet, but the symptoms you are describing do align with symptoms of depression.

I'm glad the serotonin is helping you, but you have the right idea when you mention seeing a therapist.  A therapist can help determine what is causing your depression, and what, if any, additional medication might help.

Are you able to discuss this with your parents, or another trusted adult?