Dear Dr. Archer,
I feel useless and that no one really needs me, despite the fact that I have a one year old child. I feel like he is an extra load on my shoulders, and I don't handle it well.
My story of desperation started at school, where I was once popular, and then began losing my friends one by one as I got older. This made me lose confidence in people and myself. I lost all my friends because they cheated me in different ways.
Some of them were jealous, and their words made me feel ugly. It was difficult to handle the things they said. Finally, after I was married, but in a city that is 200 miles away from my mom's home, I began to feel that she was dispassionate with me. My mom and sister are the only people I consider to be my real friends. Unfortunately, they think I am different in my way of thinking, and they are distancing themselves from me as I struggle to remain close to them.
At the end of each day I find myself crying for being so lonely in life . The only person who is close to me is my husband, and I can't to talk to him about my feelings, and that my family doesn't love me. Please tell me what to do.
Sally
Dear Sally,
I believe you could be suffering from a clinical depression, which should give you hope, because it is definitely a treatable condition. Depression, which occurs twice as often in women as men, can be caused by an imbalance in brain chemicals, genetics, conflict, death of a loved one, some medications or personal problems, to name just a few. Like with any other serious medical condition, your depression needs to be treated.
It is very important that you make an appointment with a psychiatrist for an evaluation and accurate diagnosis. Feeling down from time to time is normal. However, when emptiness and despair won't go away, it may be clinical depression. Even with the most severe depression, people get better with treatment. Find a doctor that you trust and then work together so you will be able to start feeling better.
Please understand that depression can distort how you view life. With time, your whole outlook will improve, Sally. Please do not put this off. You will notice the changes in how you feel about your friends and loved ones and your family will notice a difference, as well. Remember your friends didn’t just start to pull away all at once, rather it was you and your view of the situation that changed. Make your appointment and begin to live life the way it should be lived. Good luck.
Dr. Archer.
