<p>I am going through a really hard time lately with depression. I haven't been to school a full day in two weeks. I get incredibly anxious when I think about going back to school. I'm seriously considering dropping out and getting my GED.</p>
<p>How much would this hinder me? I really want to go to NYU. I'm a good student with a 3.8 GPA in the hardest courses (APs, honors, etc). I'm taking the ACT in a month and expect to score somewhere in the low 30s.</p>
<p>Any suggestions? Anyone else have any experience with something like this? Could I maybe do homeschooling? Neither of my parents are qualified, and we don't know anything about homeschooling really.</p>
<p>You need to talk to a mental health professional about this first, especially with regard to prognosis with treatment, then worry about the repercussions of your options</p>
<p>Wow pseudo, I've been going through the exact same thing for the exact same amount of time (the past 2 weeks).</p>
<p>I don't buy all this depression ******** that people are so quick to claim. It's amazing how people sell it to themselves. </p>
<p>I had been getting hammered with tons of homework, I lost my drive and burned out, I had lots of makeup work, and everything piled on each other throughout this entire school year caused me to just not go back to school for a while. Even the thought had me puking. I have been in a gloomy state all year, didn't see the point of living let alone getting out of bed, etc. </p>
<p>How did I solve it? I had found a new inspiration for getting out of bed so I sucked it up and went back to school. I remembered why I had been going to school (one of the big things that caused me to go into the 'slump,' I didn't see the point of going)</p>
<p>Seriously, just start fresh. Today is my first day back and I feel pretty good so far. I am making a committment to sleep more, do my homework as soon as I get home (despite how ridiculously much it is), and just remember that school isn't everything. My main reason for even bothering with high school is so that I can get a full scholarship to a college (I don't have a fighting chance to pay for it otherwise without extreme difficulty).</p>
<p>The drop out and get a GED also had been on my mind a lot. But then reality hit (plus my parents are dead against GEDs; it's equivalent on paper, but not in the real world) and I wouldn't get the scholarship I'm aiming for so college wouldn't be an option for quite a while.</p>
<p>Hey you guys this can be treated. See a professional. I struggled a lot with depression and OCD when I was around 12-13 and got treatment and am now fine. Last year I quit taking the meds which turned out to be a disaster but now I am back on.</p>
<p>Just consider, would dropping out and getting a GED really make your life better? Probably not.</p>
<p>psedu, this is coming from a mom who has dealt with a simliar situation as your own with my son, now thankfully a thing of the past. First and most important is that you talk to someone. Whether it be your parents, a school official you feel close to,a therapist, psychologist, its imperative you be able to open up and express yourself to someone. Are you a senior? Dropping out would and could be a costly mistake particularly if you have your sights set on a pretty competitive school. A 3.8 is quite enviable and no doubt you have worked hard for that GPA. Why give it up now? Every student at some point gets to the point where they feel overwhelmed, sad, overburdened, etc......its so normal and natural. The best thing is talking about it, and expressing yourself to someone who you know cares for you and has your best interest at your heart. Secondly, take time out to do something you enjoy, sometimes that means giving up doing a hw assignment to go to a movie to detox, to go on a bike ride, go to the gym, have dinner with someone whose company you enjoy, go to borders,and hang out, whatever makes you relax and take a little break.
I was advised to give my son an occasional "mental health break" meaning every now and then he would take the day off from school, sleep in, and just kind of veg out, he would still do work but sometimes he got so stressed that waking up to face school was a major hurdle. That one day break could and often made a big enough difference to where he would go back the following day feeling recharged and refreshed. You are human with the capacity for only so much, teens today have a lot of pressure and its obvious you are a high achieving student, so even more pressure is no doubt placed on you. Do allow yourself to take the time necessary to enjoy the little things, please feel free to pm me, if you need to talk further as I have dealt with this my own son and thankfully we got through it and its a thing of the past.
Just realize that what you are dealing with is not at all, abnormal or uncommon these days. There are endless resources available to help you out and believe me, they are experienced and eager to help. Therapy and just opening up can truly do wonders. good luck and pm if you need to talk. Hang in there!!</p>
<p>ahh... you need to talk to someone about this - a friend, an adult or a professional therapist. i've had similar problems before (OCD as a child and Panic disorder/depression in 9th grade)... i don't think leaving school will necessarily help but rather isolate you!</p>
<p>I went through a similar time as you in november and i think the blues are coming back. I think most of it was traced to sleep. In November I had been sleeping 5-6 hours and talking to a group of friends who weren't a great influence. I dropped the friends and started sleeping 8-9 hours a day. I was not tired/depressed until recently when I flew to Miami and back and my sleep schedule was messed up. Try sleeping more when you can.</p>
<p>I went through a similar thing guys, but got everything worked out. First, I went to a Psychiatrist to help me out. I was being urged to go and I refused, but it truly was a great boon (specifically helping me out with my medication). </p>
<p>What also helped me a lot (which may or may not be a problem with you also) was just being more social. I joined mock trial, the football team, and started going to parties. Honestly I feel happy and great now.</p>
<p>if your level of functioning is being affected that much, you should go see a psychiatrist. </p>
<p>also: get lots of sleep, at least half an hour of exercise every day (it can be something as simple as taking a walk), make sure you take time to relax. oh, and eat fish. no, really. there's been a lot of hype over the possible therapeutic benefits of omega-3, a compound found in fish oil. a bunch of being studies on it are being carried out right now.</p>
<p>pseudo, please get help. I went through this for a couple of months because I kept putting it off. It was horrible and the darkest part of my life. I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression. They are serious MENTAL conditions which, without treatment, can lead to severe consequences. </p>
<p>Anyways, I went to a psychiatrist and they put me on anti anxiety and anti depression meds and I've been so much better.</p>