I hate that I have to come to the forums to whine about my feelings lately, I dont like to talk about this sort of stuff (too much of a stoic person I suppose) but I think I might be showing signs of mild depression. I'm ussually a happy, funny guy with lots of friends and a good family and all that jazz but ever since a couple months ago I have been having intense bouts of lonliness and un-energeticness that stick with me all day and seem to go on and off almost every other day. It's getting to the point where I'll wake up in the morning and just have that feeling that its going to be a Debbie downer of a day. I dont know whats causing these feelings, like I said before I have lots of friends whom I hang out with frequently, I dont have many stressful things in my life or any thing else that would cause this. I also tend to feed off the energy of other people, for instance if everyone is hyper and excited then I'll be the same way, but if even a friend or two is quite or seems down that day then I will be aswell, even if I'm having an otherwise good day.

I guess I'm just asking everyone if these are early signs of mild depression or just a case of mood swings. Now to lighten up the mood I'm going to watch some funny videos on you tube.

Edit: the feelings of lonliness aren't completely inacurate in retrospect it would make sense considering I'm an only child and have been single for my 17 year exsitence and every time a girl likes me and I like her I always miss my chance. This could be attributed to my extremely low self esteem....God I'm a mess

Be bold and don't miss that next chance. Most times a girl is just as shy as you

Also, try something completely new. Shake things up.

most people confuse depression with anxiety. anxiety can be a symptom of it, but usually it's stand alone.

How could you be depressed when TES V: Skyrim has been announced dude look forward to that if i were you i'd go get daggerfall and spend an hour trying to install it on dosbox to shake things up.

I'd say what you're feeling is pretty normal, just try your best to find ways to work through it bro.

"I know it seems hard sometimes but remember one thing.
Through every dark night, theres a bright day after that.
So no matter how hard it get, stick your chest out, keep ya head up... and handle it."

You're also going through what almost everyone does. There are times I wake up and i'm just like "I wonder what will happen if i sleep til tomorrow", or i'll get down because the girl I like is so insanely shy that it makes it impossible to tell if she likes me or not lmao.

Personally I just deal with it. Emotionally I know i'm very strong, so nothing really keeps me down anymore. At worst, I say my worst mood is just being content. But I go through my life with this philosophy, which people may disagree with, but works wonders for me:

"I do not dwell on the past,
Nor do I worry about the future.
I live my life in the present, one day a time.
Memories are fleeting,
Future insights are dangerous,
And happiness is Dependant on the current time."

The answer you probably don't want to hear: You're at that age when your body still hasn't quite worked out hormonal balances yet, and so you get feeling all sorts of crazy stuff that you honestly and truly grow out of. Now I'm not a disbeliever in depression, but I do think rather impetuously that you have what is and what isn't, and it's a very common thing considering your age to see one thing as something else.

The answer you really don't want to hear: This is pretty much normal. For everybody. You're not special.

The answer I gave myself when I went through somewhat similar times: Interpersonal relationships are not the answer to anything, and rather the want of said interpersonal relationships was more often than not the very cause of depressive feelings, therefore all that was needed was to will away the base need for relationships, and with a little injection of http://www.hongfire.com/cg/data/25/caramelldansen.swf, I became a different, more content, person.

A bastard hermit misanthropist, but a happy one all the same. ^_^

Well just about describe me to be honest. Minus the lots of friends part...

If you would like to know for sure, go see a counsellor/psychiatrist who will be able to give you an actual diagnosis on what you are suffering. You may be able to find a free one in your area if you have good youth health services. You might not have depression as such, but they may be able to help you. Also, I suggest looking at your diet. Call me crazy, but certain foods may or may not be able to help with your moods. It's worth a shot if you want to do something about it.

I went through this same thing a few months ago. It was really hard to get out of, but what I found helped the most was a SAD light lamp and just making a list of everything I've done that's right. For example, if I started worrying and feeling depressed about being alone forever, I would write stuff that I've done that proves that's not true.

I forgot to mention, a healthy diet and regular exercise gave me a great boost too. I dont follow a specific diet, but I just cut out candy, deep fried food and dairy, and work out about 5 times a week. That can sound intimidating but I would try to catch the d epression now instead of letting it build.

High School counselors can be a good first stop if you have any serious concerns for your mental well being. They can talk to you, give you advice, possibly help you out with any problems you have related to school, and provide resources and information on mental health care providers in your area. Nothing you describe seems entirely out of the normal though. You grow up, you learn, and I've found the last few years of High School to be a particular bother. Just try and remain content with your life, remember not everything is as bad as you think, and that even mistakes can be better than nothing at all. We all worry, but I think you'll be fine

-_- when I was in High School, I went to a counsellor and said, "I'm [what I was doing is my business], I hate my life and I want to die. Please help." He goes, "Everyone does." And that was the end of that. I never, ever saw another counsellor. In fact, I hate them. Grrr.