Young People Can Suffer From Depression Too

It can come on for lots of reasons. A young person can be vulnerable just like anyone.

Grief can bring it on or even having an accident or an illness can bring it on. 

Have you ever suffered from depression?

Having depression can be a hard thing to overcome. Have you ever suffered so much that it felt like nothing would ever be right again? When you start thinking in a negative way when you are down, it can also bring you more pain.

When I watched a tv show on Netflix called 13 Reasons Why, which is about suicide in younger people, the show moved me so much that I decided to write this story, which I shared in an article some years ago. It was hard for me to write about it because I was so close to the person but I did anyway.

Having depression at a young age or really at any age is definitely heartbreaking and it's a truly terrifying reckless process of suffering that you do not want to go through at any time in your life. I know how it feels to suffer from depression. You feel doomed and you panic at everything that's thrown your way. You can't possibly see how things can be better in the future and this is especially the case for younger people because, for instance, a teenager at school can't see how they will grow up and be mature about situations. They are stuck until they get counseling or the help they need.

So, here is a story that was devastating at the time

Someone very close to me suffered unnecessarily. It could have been avoided if the right treatment had been given in the beginning. There were many signs at the beginning that could have been spotted by a professional but it didn't happen.

He was 19 years old. He suffered from depression after he suffered extensive injuries in a hit-and-run car accident. He had some devastating injuries to his face and now one of his legs is deformed. Whilst he was in hospital there were signs that he was traumatized and he went through something so unbearable and emotionally he was unstable. But, not one doctor or nurse paid enough attention to it. So, he was discharged from the hospital still feeling unstable and the trauma of his accident had devastated him in a way we didn't understand. For example, his facial injuries were terrible for him and he knew he wouldn't be the same again. This, for a young person, was something he couldn't comprehend. So, the trauma of the accident had pushed him into a depression.

He felt terrible for two years afterward and we didn't know why he was suffering emotionally until he was diagnosed with depression. It took months for him to get a diagnosis because no one took us or him seriously enough. It wasn't until he tried to commit suicide on a number of occasions that the doctors finally took it more seriously. We kept on having to plead his case to doctors, which was frustrating for us all. Why does it get to that point? Do they want someone to take their life? How can it be avoided?

People need to listen to someone if they need our help. If someone is down for any reason they should talk to someone close to them. Never bottle it up! Help is always close to you!

Today though, he is on the right medication and he is stable. He can have his ups and downs here and there, but he is managing and doing things he never thought he would do again. He is living a normal life, but only because we were determined to see him get the help he deserved.

Depression can come in many forms. It can stop you from living a healthy, normal life. This disease can, also, wreck everyone else around the person who has it. I know, because it happened to me. I became sad and stressed because I was trying so desperately to help him get the help he needed. No one would listen to me or take it seriously, but I was determined not to give up and in the end, I was heard.

You have to get those closest to you to listen to you. You have to find help immediately. 

So, do you know anyone who is suffering and feeling down and lonely? If you do, please get them to help immediately. Please, don't give up on them even if they push you away!

Also, published on Medium.com

Denise Larkin is a writer and fiction author. She writes about her experiences on most topics.