Depression

Question
Vraag

I have had a deep depression for 2 years. I had developed an eating disorder 2 months before, but my mother says it only happens to adults. My parents often fight so I often cannot communicate with them. Do you have any tips?

Answered by NiceDay Psychologist Wouter Schippers
Answer
Antwoord

How good of you to ask for help! 

  • First of all, I would like to make it clear that eating disorders or eating problems occur in all ages. So even minors can suffer from them. It is not uncommon for these problems to develop from puberty onwards and it is therefore all the better to act on it. 
  • I would also advise you to seek professional help to provide you with support. You can always turn to your GP for help, but in schools there is always a confidential counsellor you could talk to. I would advise to talk to both. 
  • Finally you can probably do some things yourself to deal with depression symptoms. A common pitfall is to adopt an unhealthy lifestyle. Doing active things like exercise, hobbies or meeting up with friends is important. Make sure you don’t think about what won’t work, but ask yourself what would work, it’s not a big deal if it’s just a 5-minute walk, for example. What matters is that you can build up at your own pace, after all, it’s hard enough as it is!

I hope I can help you out with this. It’s really important to get in touch with people who can support you. If you’ve been walking around with this for 2 years, it’s important to get the help you deserve. Should you find that you also suffer from suicidal thoughts, it may be useful to contact 113.nl.

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