why

[Gumleaf]

why should i have depression? its not right, i have a loving family, i have a girlfriend who will basically do anything for me that i love very much and although i don't have many friends, the ones i do have i know love me and and i probably love them even more. so when i have all that, what do i have to be depressed about? i have all these people around me, yet i feel lonely and alone. i am surrounded by love, but i drive people away and turn them off me because i doubt how much they really do care. its not right at all. i have no reason to feel down on myself and i basically feel like a sympathy fraud, or someone who has it all and is still wanting more. but no matter what i do to change things, it doesn't work. i still have days that are rotten, i still have times i doubt everything, and worst of all i doubt my friendships and it gets to the point where i basically over analyse everything. what person who in reality has nothing to be depressed about feel like that? whats my bloody problem? perhaps i need a cricket bat and my head and bang them together to fix the problem? this is one very selfish guy!

[ShatteredWings]

Stephen don't you dare. Head injuries can be quite bad. (trust me.. i've lost a few days of memory bcause of it)

Anyone can be come depressed. You don't always need a 'reason' for it.

[Corey G.]

why should i have depression? its not right, i have a loving family, i have a girlfriend who will basically do anything for me that i love very much and although i don't have many friends, the ones i do have i know love me and and i probably love them even more. so when i have all that, what do i have to be depressed about? i have all these people around me, yet i feel lonely and alone. i am surrounded by love, but i drive people away and turn them off me because i doubt how much they really do care. its not right at all. i have no reason to feel down on myself and i basically feel like a sympathy fraud, or someone who has it all and is still wanting more. but no matter what i do to change things, it doesn't work. i still have days that are rotten, i still have times i doubt everything, and worst of all i doubt my friendships and it gets to the point where i basically over analyse everything. what person who in reality has nothing to be depressed about feel like that? whats my bloody problem? perhaps i need a cricket bat and my head and bang them together to fix the problem? this is one very selfish guy!

Gumleaf I have had that problem myself(though I don't have the best father ever) =o But I have been thinking about this depression problem and I even wrote a poem about it(if you want to read it I'll email it too you) but depression is just something we go through, heck it says in the Bible(I'm only saying this part because I'm pretty sure I saw your name in VTChristians) that God hurts when we hurt, so God goes through it too. Though the difference is His shows His Love for us, where your's shows your love for yourself. This depression is often times caused by want(so you were right in the fact that it is a selfish depression). Now the way I delt with this is, I started becoming content with what I had, and patient for what I didn't, and trust me gaining patience is NOT easy, but it IS usefull. I also came to an understanding that if I needed something, then if I just asked God(and God knows the difference between our needs and our wants which is why I often pray for what I need rather then what I want) to give me what I need to get through life.

Now let me give you a parable: "Now there were two farmers who desperately needed rain, and both prayed for it, but only one prepared his fields to recieve it. The one who prepared his fields to recieve the rain got the rain where the one who didn't, did not get the rain." Now the meaning of this parable is that all you need to do is prepare everything, and God will give the increase. What I mean is for you to prepare yourself to recieve patience, and God will give you the patience. I hope this helps and isn't to wordy.

[scuba steve]

simple as this mate even the happiest man in the world gets depressed. Past regrets, future worries... but it sounds like you are in a stage where you are worrying about why these people like you this much, do they actually like you as much as they appear and can you honestly trust them with yourself and your worries.
you just have to remember that family will always love you and they are who you can trust, if you trust your friends enough to open up then do... if you don't, don't.
if they backstab you forget them and move on, you'll make new friends.
just because they are your current social group dosn't mean they're the best or the only one.

and for your habit of over annalysing things remember the medical theory of Achams razor where the most simplest answer is usually the right answer.

[Sapphire]

My two cents are that you probably have problems with yourself (self confidence, self esteem etc) which are central to this. Causes of depression don't have to be external to yourself. You also have some unhelpful thinking patterns which you can work on changing once you work out what they are.

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/consumers.cfm
This ^ has some helpful workbooks that you may find useful in addressing any issues you have either with your counsellor or not.

[Hyper]

Depression isn't just about feeling sad and worthless and it isn't just reserved for people with crappy existances.

It can happen to anyone and just because something seems perfect doesn't mean it is and even if it is perfect you can't be perfect.

Depression is indeed a feeling of sadness and so on but it is also a period of transgression and growing up.. It helps to understand yourself and if your life is as you said good & happy you have to work through this phase with every method available to you

[Guillermo]

Wow its almost the same for me too. Like i have friends but i still feel lonely and depressed sometimes. Everybody has/had/will have depression. I think you'll overcome it. You just have to look on the bright side of things. But please don't hurt yourself.

[Grey fox]

Dude, you're awesome.

You are a complete stranger to me, but you seem like a pretty amazing person!

If it's bad enough to warrant medication like anti-depressants, then take them! It oculd be that it is in no way you're personal fault, but a sign that something curable has gone wrong somewhere inside you.

Feeling down and depressed is also a pretty normal teenage thing to go through (in my opinion) with luck, it will pass of it's own accord, but if not, then you shoudl try to make any possible effort to counteract it by being cheerful, and trying to trust people a little bit more.

here is a smile :) now send some to other people!