I’m not talking about my first sexual experience.  This is the very first time I suffered and was medically labeled with Depression.  I had no idea what hit me and when it did happen, I had no idea what I was in for.

When I was 14, my family moved from the city of Brooklyn, New York to suburbia Connecticut.  This was right at the time I was to begin high school.  Not a fun age for any teen.  I understand my parents wanted the best for me.  They wanted to get away from all the stereotypes of the “inner city”.  I had a lot of blame back then for the move, after all they picked me up and moved me 1.5 hours away from the only home I have ever known and from all my friends.  I began to fight with them constantly.  I felt as if they did not care what I felt and that my opinions did not matter.  My father and I clashed horribly although that may be because we are very similar in personality.

I started high school and had the shock of my life.  Most of the kids were outright cruel.  They thought because I was from Brooklyn that I was in a gang and owned a gun.  They wanted to know if my “Homies” were going to come visit me at school.  They mocked my accent, the way I dressed.  Every stereotype of New York they heard of apparently applied to me.  Although I did meet a small group of people who became my friends in the beginning (about 6 people), most of the kids were just not interested in actually getting to know me.  A few faked being my friend and then later played practical jokes on me.

I tried to shrug it off.  I cried sometimes at night.  It just got worse…

…and worse…

…and the fighting with my parents got worse…

…and worse…

and then something in me changed.  I stopped fighting and just started crying in front of my parents one day.  This time they listened and realized I wasn’t just suffering from teenage angst, I was going through a lot more.

I entered a group therapy session for teens soon after and was labeled with “Depression“.

I do not intend to write my blog entries in order of my bouts with Depression and Anxiety and believe me, some of my experiences will take more than 1 blog post.  I am doing this to aid myself in finishing my book on my struggle and to mainly help those who have suffered or know people who have or are suffering.  Some posts will be about my experiences, some will be articles concerning Depression and Anxiety, some may just discuss the pharmacy that used to be my life, and some may just be a quote of how I feel that day or something more positive.

Since this is my 20+ year battle, I will fully admit that now, after being off meds for 4 years, I am once again struggling with Depression and Anxiety.  Yes, I am suffering, but you know what, like the many times before I WILL GET BETTER.