Ask Dr. Schwartz
Psychotherapy and Mental Health questions

Hi, I am an 18 year old, and for the longest time, I have been feeling sad, angry, hopeless. I feel like a failure and I have basically isolated myself from the world. Generally I am under a cloud, and I am rarely happy. I try to keep myself busy so that I won't have time to think about everything else. However, the smallest thing seems to trigger my mood swings, and I either burst into tears, or scream like there's no tomorrow. I don't know what's wrong with me and that is even more frustrating. I think I may be suffering from depression, but when I told my folks that, they thought I was being paranoid. So I'm not sure about what to do. Do you think I could be suffering from depression? And to provide more information, I have attempted suicide before, by taking pills, and I've been a wrist cutter. Also, I often get a "sinking feeling"...it seems like my heart is sinking and I feel the most intense sadness ever. It brings depressing thoughts into my mind...like killing myself. So, I usually go to sleep or stay in bed. And my sleeping pattern has changed too. I usually can't sleep a continuous 8 hour sleep. I wake up in the middle and I'm tired even after waking up. So please help me. Do i have depression? Should I be getting treated?

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