Kristen's Depression Diagnosis Story
Kristen was asked by us to talk about her diagnosis story. She believes by sharing her story, she really hope it makes you feel not alone, or it helps inspire you to go get diagnosed yourself if you are feeling like you need that.
I was diagnosed with depression very young, and I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety the same day.
Let me tell you my story.
I Was Tired All the Time
I was in eighth grade, and I started feeling very tired all the time, very moody, as well as I felt like I couldn't breathe, and that's kind of where the anxiety comes in.
I went to the doctor, told her my symptoms, I said "I've been really tired all the time, I've been feeling like I can't catch my breath, been feeling really tight in the throat." I was diagnosed with asthma.
She says "Oh, you just have asthma, it's very common now. Here's an inhaler, here you go, here, you'll be fine."
I went home, took my inhaler every time I felt my throat feeling dry or clogged up, and the hormones in the medicine that the inhaler put into my body made the anxiety worse.
All of this anxiety, I was extremely stressed.
I Went to Go See a Different Doctor
At this point, my doctor was not available, so I had to see my other doctor. I went to go see a different doctor. He diagnosed me with anxiety and depression and sent me on my way to a therapist.
When I told my parents about it, they didn't have a really good reaction because they blamed themselves. A lot of parents do when their child is going through a mental health problem.
The doctor referred me to a therapist and I started seeing my therapist twice a week. The first time I went to my therapist, she gave me a depression screening. It's very common the first time you go to a therapy appointment.
It's two, three pages about your symptoms, about what you're feeling, about your health, your physical health, because that's very important and can go hand-in-hand with your mental health.
I filled out that paperwork, maybe took about 15 minutes, and went to my therapy appointment. For the next two or three years, I'd be seeing this therapist two times a week.
Going to therapy has been very, very beneficial. I went through a lot of trauma in my teen years and seeing a therapist was extremely, extremely beneficial, and I'm so happy that I had that opportunity to see a therapist.
It's Okay to Reach Out for Help
If you are suffering with depression, if you feel like your depression symptoms are coming back because of the weather changes, something happened in your life, a traumatic event or a stressful event is going on, it's okay to reach out for help and go back to your doctor.
Your mental health can fluctuate throughout the year or throughout the years, and it's okay to reach out for help if you need it.
I really hope this story helped you. It's a really simple story, but it's my story, and it's my story to tell you, and I really hope it helped.
Please let me know down below, what is your diagnosis story? How did you get diagnosed with depression? Was it a good experience, was it a bad experience? Was it hard for you emotionally, to reach out for help? Let me know down below. I'm really, really curious.
