Why don't my friends believe that I'm depressed? I mean, I've tried to tell them this, but they just say that I want attention. The thing is, I was scared to even TELL them! Any help?!

Feeling depressed and not having someone to help can be scary, but you're never alone! We can reach out to us anytime! Nobody will judge you but instead listen and try to help :)

Hi, I am sorry to hear that your friends doesn't see that you are serious. Part of it is attention , but even to want attention has its reasons. And you shouldn't be judge either way. Have thought to pick one friend who you feel can understand and tried to tell him/her to face or by letter where you will be brutally honest and ask for friend's help. ? Take Care

It is difficult for people to believe in the presence of something such as depression when they lack personal experience. Due to this lack of awareness, people suffering with mental health concerns may get judged for 'attention seeking'. You deserve to receive empathy and understanding and it's a natural part of healthy friendships to be able to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences in a comfortable environment. Labelling someone as an attention seeker can be an easy way to discredit that person's emotions and experiences, which is entirely unfair. To question even the sense of this accusation: so what if you did want attention? We all want attention to some extent. When we speak we want people to listen, when we share something; good or bad, we want our friends and loved ones to show their care and there is no harm in that. Sometimes we aren't even asking for anyone to fix our problems, but to simply be aware of them and we deserve to have that respect in a friendship. Sounds like your friends had no idea or experience of how to respond to someone disclosing that they are suffering with depression. You don't need to 'prove' yourself to them.

I'm proud you told your friends. It's sad when they don't understand you. You can try to explain them again, but most important: remember that your problems are valid. Even if they think they're not or don't understand it. it can be hard for people to get depression if they never experienced it themselves. Do you think one of them would be open to listen to you when you try to explain it again? I get that you want them to understand you. It's a normale expectation to want your friend to be there for you. Hopefully they'll listen better to you in a while. Remember this is about them and not about you. Your feelings are valid. You're important.

I sympathize with what happened to you. Some people will think that depression is very far away from them, so they don't want to believe that the people around them have such symptoms, and some people don't know the exact manifestation of depression, they may think you're joking, or they don't understand the seriousness of depression, they think it's nothing, they just need more attention to get better. At this time, you can beat around the bush and tell them something about depression. I'm sure they can understand. I hope it would be helpful for you. Thank you.