Mental health

[Shaun1094]

Hello to anyone who sees this forum. I’ve never started a topic before so I’m just winging it.

 

I’ve always struggled with mental health after losing someone very close to me several years ago and gaming has always helped me deal with my issues by distracting my mind. I wanted to start a forum where people can come to if they feel down or are struggling with something and need advice or just someone to talk to. Talking about your issues is so important and it is extremely unhealthy to bottle things up. I wanted a place for people to come where there is no judgement, only support and care. 
 

There are many outlets out there to help with mental health but I thought this would be a good place to do this as gaming has always helped me and I’m sure many other people as well.

 

 

[LC-Fraggers]

I've been diagnosed manic depressive since I was a teenager and grew up through an actual living hell. I know a lot about what it takes to fight your way out of a bad situation and I'd be happy to talk to anybody that needs somebody to listen.

Great idea by the way OP. There's never a bad time to let people know that you need a hand dealing with life.

[COKTOE]

I have been in pretty rough shape lately, but really most of my life since I was 8 years old. Just taking things day by day after another huge and insane, yet typical, setback just over a week ago. I even slipped up with my drinking, after having it under control for quite a while. Exercising, walking, gaming....most things that may have helped on some level have not been helping, as what has happened is essentially, as Hank Hill once said, "Putting stress on a structure that wasn't up to code to begin with." So basically, things weren't good, and now I'm revisiting an absolute nightmare scenario that almost ended me back in 2013, except this time it's worse. And I'm older.

 

Just like in 2013, I was making a big push to do good for myself, and just like in 2013 I'm struck down. With the exact same problem. I have been through a lot, and can cope well enough, but this shit is just infuriating. I literally smashed my kitchen table just typing this...And yes, I realize I'm not being forthcoming with details. Sorry about that.

 

Wish I had some words of wisdom to impart, but I began listening to Tim Dillon a few days ago, and I find his podcast hilarious. It's helped a bit. I had my first edibles a few day ago too, and even though I am reluctant to go down the pot path again, after quitting smoking it a while ago, it seemed to provide some relief, and helped me sleep a bit better too.

 

Best of luck to anyone who is struggling, and hope it will pass soon.

 

 

[CeliiaFleur]

That’s such an important topic, thank you for creating it. 
As for me, I sometimes feel like I’m a lost cause, mostly because all my doctors are giving up on me. They just put me on different medication and sooner or later I relapse and they tell me to go see a different doctor because they’re at their wits’ end. It’s been like this for years. 
I don’t talk about my issues anymore because I don’t trust people at all. Not anymore. I used to, I was very very naive.

I also don’t want to worry my family, so I just pretend it’s okay. I haven’t left the house in 2 years, I only go outside to work in the garden. Our house is very secluded so I’m alone there, just me and my flowers. Winter is extremely hard though, because there’s nothing to do in the garden…

 

[Shaun1094]

7 hours ago, LC-Fraggers said:

I've been diagnosed manic depressive since I was a teenager and grew up through an actual living hell. I know a lot about what it takes to fight your way out of a bad situation and I'd be happy to talk to anybody that needs somebody to listen.

Great idea by the way OP. There's never a bad time to let people know that you need a hand dealing with life.

Sorry to hear. Glad you’re doing better these days.

7 hours ago, COKTOE said:

I have been in pretty rough shape lately, but really most of my life since I was 8 years old. Just taking things day by day after another huge and insane, yet typical, setback just over a week ago. I even slipped up with my drinking, after having it under control for quite a while. Exercising, walking, gaming....most things that may have helped on some level have not been helping, as what has happened is essentially, as Hank Hill once said, "Putting stress on a structure that wasn't up to code to begin with." So basically, things weren't good, and now I'm revisiting an absolute nightmare scenario that almost ended me back in 2013, except this time it's worse. And I'm older.

 

Just like in 2013, I was making a big push to do good for myself, and just like in 2013 I'm struck down. With the exact same problem. I have been through a lot, and can cope well enough, but this shit is just infuriating. I literally smashed my kitchen table just typing this...And yes, I realize I'm not being forthcoming with details. Sorry about that.

 

Wish I had some words of wisdom to impart, but I began listening to Tim Dillon a few days ago, and I find his podcast hilarious. It's helped a bit. I had my first edibles a few day ago too, and even though I am reluctant to go down the pot path again, after quitting smoking it a while ago, it seemed to provide some relief, and helped me sleep a bit better too.

 

Best of luck to anyone who is struggling, and hope it will pass soon.

 

 

Sorry to hear. I really hope you can overcome what you’re going through. If you want to get stuff off your chest then you’re in the right place. You can always message me if you wanted to keep things a bit more private.

6 hours ago, CeliiaFleur said:

That’s such an important topic, thank you for creating it. 
As for me, I sometimes feel like I’m a lost cause, mostly because all my doctors are giving up on me. They just put me on different medication and sooner or later I relapse and they tell me to go see a different doctor because they’re at their wits’ end. It’s been like this for years. 
I don’t talk about my issues anymore because I don’t trust people at all. Not anymore. I used to, I was very very naive.

I also don’t want to worry my family, so I just pretend it’s okay. I haven’t left the house in 2 years, I only go outside to work in the garden. Our house is very secluded so I’m alone there, just me and my flowers. Winter is extremely hard though, because there’s nothing to do in the garden…

 

I understand that you don’t trust people but I hope you can find someone you can trust and are able to get get stuff off your chest cos speaking from experience, bottling things up is the worst thing you can do. You don’t know me so you would probably find it hard to trust me but I want this to be a safe place to share and help each other. Personally I think your family should know how you feel, there’s more chance that they could help.

[AJ_Radio]

I am not as overly sensitive about mental health as some people are around here. But I have definitely noticed mental health issues skyrocket in my country within the last 10 - 15 years. I see a lot of highschool kids and young adults in their early - mid 20s coming out to admit that they have a serious mental health issue. Whether it's instability, inability to cope years after a major loss, trouble sticking with a job, anxiety, or just meeting with another person, I've come across all manners of people who have had all of those problems.

 

There's no question that since the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people have gotten worse. I spent a part of the summer this year talking with actual family and friends, the first time I was able to do that in over a year. I don't care what people say otherwise, internet conversations will never replace interpersonal communication. Younger generations are slipping away from interpersonal communication. I've seen people as old as 25 - 35 years have great difficulty speaking in public. It's not necessarily because they're introverted, or they're socially awkward. I'm both of those. It's because they have mental issues. I have been infuriated over the fact that mental health funding in the United States is basically kaput. There was a place not too far from me that took in people who had mental issues. But that place has since closed. We shouldn't be putting people who suffer from mental health problems into jail.

 

Many of us can probably admit we have an addiction to technology. I was a loner when I was a kid. Had very few friends, was bullied in school for being different and socially awkward, which affected me mentally. For a time as a teenager I rarely went outside, because there were no other kids to play with over the summer so I was left to find things on my own that I could entertain myself with. That also affected me mentally. I couldn't look people in the eye. Turns out I have/had Asbergers Syndrome. Throughout high school and my early jobs I had to communicate with people in person. Slowly but surely my shyness started to wither away. I'm still a little shy to an extent, but I'm nowhere near as shy as I used to be.

 

One of the best things you guys can do is talk to people you know who have been through tragedy, strife and had their own mental health issues. In my experience, talking with grown ups who didn't have apparent mental health issues isn't always the best, as they tend to have great difficulty understanding where you're coming from. Even psychiatrists can't always determine what's best for you, I found that they were often wrong about their suggestions to me.

Edited October 19, 2021 by AJ_Radio

[Guest]

in 2016 I realized that there was no way to go on without treatment, so I started therapy to deal with social anxiety and depression. 5 years later, social anxiety is almost non-existent, but my depression is clinical, so I needed antidepressants for 5 years. at the beginning of 2021, i didn't need antidepressants anymore, and i'm going for the first full year without using, that's because the chemical levels in my body are supposedly balanced (for now haha)

[Shaun1094]

17 hours ago, AJ_Radio said:

I am not as overly sensitive about mental health as some people are around here. But I have definitely noticed mental health issues skyrocket in my country within the last 10 - 15 years. I see a lot of highschool kids and young adults in their early - mid 20s coming out to admit that they have a serious mental health issue. Whether it's instability, inability to cope years after a major loss, trouble sticking with a job, anxiety, or just meeting with another person, I've come across all manners of people who have had all of those problems.

 

There's no question that since the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people have gotten worse. I spent a part of the summer this year talking with actual family and friends, the first time I was able to do that in over a year. I don't care what people say otherwise, internet conversations will never replace interpersonal communication. Younger generations are slipping away from interpersonal communication. I've seen people as old as 25 - 35 years have great difficulty speaking in public. It's not necessarily because they're introverted, or they're socially awkward. I'm both of those. It's because they have mental issues. I have been infuriated over the fact that mental health funding in the United States is basically kaput. There was a place not too far from me that took in people who had mental issues. But that place has since closed. We shouldn't be putting people who suffer from mental health problems into jail.

 

Many of us can probably admit we have an addiction to technology. I was a loner when I was a kid. Had very few friends, was bullied in school for being different and socially awkward, which affected me mentally. For a time as a teenager I rarely went outside, because there were no other kids to play with over the summer so I was left to find things on my own that I could entertain myself with. That also affected me mentally. I couldn't look people in the eye. Turns out I have/had Asbergers Syndrome. Throughout high school and my early jobs I had to communicate with people in person. Slowly but surely my shyness started to wither away. I'm still a little shy to an extent, but I'm nowhere near as shy as I used to be.

 

One of the best things you guys can do is talk to people you know who have been through tragedy, strife and had their own mental health issues. In my experience, talking with grown ups who didn't have apparent mental health issues isn't always the best, as they tend to have great difficulty understanding where you're coming from. Even psychiatrists can't always determine what's best for you, I found that they were often wrong about their suggestions to me.

I agree with everything you said pretty much. Nowadays at least in my country (England) there is a lot of outlets for people who struggle with mental health. I’ve always said since I started talking to people and opening up that I felt myself getting better cos I wasn’t bottling things up, I was opening up to people. I just want people to feel like they’re not gonna get judged and that they can just openly say how they feel because too many people take their own lives as a result of having no one to talk to and having people to talk to has helped me massively. 
 

I appreciate your post ?

16 hours ago, kevao97 said:

in 2016 I realized that there was no way to go on without treatment, so I started therapy to deal with social anxiety and depression. 5 years later, social anxiety is almost non-existent, but my depression is clinical, so I needed antidepressants for 5 years. at the beginning of 2021, i didn't need antidepressants anymore, and i'm going for the first full year without using, that's because the chemical levels in my body are supposedly balanced (for now haha)

I appreciate you putting that out there because that could help someone. Glad you’re in a better place! 

[Lava_Yuki]

I've had mental health issues years ago as a teenager where I had anorexia for 10 years. Although I'm fine now, a normal weight and eat healthy, I still have this mind block that prevents me from eating anything unhealthy like sweets or junk food. I just eat normal food and enough calories and maintain a normal weight, but the aversion to high calorie stuff never disappeared. I have an obsessive personality as well, so that doesn't help and it sometimes affects relationships as well, so I gave up dating as I got sick of it. I now work as a doctor (Family med) and during my training, I worked for 6 months in an inpatient psychiatric ward for the experience and it was sad to how bad it can get sometimes. It was also during covid when people's mental health took a turn for the worst, so it was much busier than usual. I think covid really affected a lot of people, with all the lockdowns and loneliness. 

 

My mum dad severe depression as well, she recovered with medication after a few years; she's off them now and is stable. I also have two friends with anxiety disorder, one is under a psychiatrist and is on quite a few meds, while the other is a psychiatrist themselves but seems to deal with it on their own. I think even if you don't directly suffer yourself, there's always people around you that may do as it's quite common from my experience.

[Shaun1094]

2 minutes ago, Lava_Yuki said:

I've had mental health issues years ago as a teenager where I had anorexia for 10 years. Although I'm fine now, a normal weight and eat healthy, I still have this mind block that prevents me from eating anything unhealthy like sweets or junk food. I just eat normal food and enough calories and maintain a normal weight, but the aversion to high calorie stuff never disappeared. I have an obsessive personality as well, so that doesn't help and it sometimes affects relationships as well, so I gave up dating as I got sick of it. I now work as a doctor (Family med) and during my training, I worked for 6 months in an inpatient psychiatric ward for the experience and it was sad to how bad it can get sometimes. It was also during covid when people's mental health took a turn for the worst, so it was much busier than usual. I think covid really affected a lot of people, with all the lockdowns and loneliness. 

 

My mum dad severe depression as well, she recovered with medication after a few years; she's off them now and is stable. I also have two friends with anxiety disorder, one is under a psychiatrist and is on quite a few meds, while the other is a psychiatrist themselves but seems to deal with it on their own. I think even if you don't directly suffer yourself, there's always people around you that may do as it's quite common from my experience.

Thanks for sharing! I’ve had no experience with anorexia so I couldn’t really comment on it but I understand it must be a very difficult thing to live with. I’m glad to hear you’re doing better these days and I hope you’re strong enough to keep pushing on. 
 

Yeah COVID did quite a lot of damage to people mentally, it affected me with the loneliness aspect but luckily I have really caring people around me. 
 

I’ve always said, the loudest person in the room usually has the most issues and it’s important to be able to identify issues with people as you could be the person that helps them. 

[GrantVernonHart]

On 19/10/2021 at 5:21 AM, Shaun1094 said:

Hello to anyone who sees this forum. I’ve never started a topic before so I’m just winging it.

 

I’ve always struggled with mental health after losing someone very close to me several years ago and gaming has always helped me deal with my issues by distracting my mind. I wanted to start a forum where people can come to if they feel down or are struggling with something and need advice or just someone to talk to. Talking about your issues is so important and it is extremely unhealthy to bottle things up. I wanted a place for people to come where there is no judgement, only support and care. 
 

There are many outlets out there to help with mental health but I thought this would be a good place to do this as gaming has always helped me and I’m sure many other people as well.

 

 

I'm always supporting you man, glad you add me you're nice person y'know we should boost some ps3 online trophies together. I also depressed I hope we get to know each other thanks??

[Shaun1094]

20 hours ago, GrantVernonHart said:

I'm always supporting you man, glad you add me you're nice person y'know we should boost some ps3 online trophies together. I also depressed I hope we get to know each other thanks?

Appreciate that mate ?. Yeah we have each other added as friends so I’m sure we can sort something out ?

[GrantVernonHart]

32 minutes ago, Shaun1094 said:

Appreciate that mate . Yeah we have each other added as friends so I’m sure we can sort something out

Tommy Vercetti became depressed guy because R* didn't pay him enough, it also happen to Nico bellic as well ?

[StraightVege]

@kevao97  So, I'm not the only one on here. My SAD was once so severe that I couldn't leave the house, because I thought the neighbors were staring at me and judging me through their windows. It's such a debilitating condition. After two cycles of cognitive behavioral therapy, I've made substantial improvements, although I'm quite far from being cured. Glad to hear your treatment was so successful; gives me some hope, at least.

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, ScarecrowsFate said:

@kevao97  So, I'm not the only one on here. My SAD was once so severe that I couldn't leave the house, because I thought the neighbors were staring at me and judging me through their windows. It's such a debilitating condition. After two cycles of cognitive behavioral therapy, I've made substantial improvements, although I'm quite far from being cured. Glad to hear your treatment was so successful; gives me some hope, at least.

it's exactly how you described it. I could easily go weeks or months without leaving the house, in fact it was years like that.  it is an unsustainable condition of life. persist in treatment, mine was also cognitive behavioral. nowadays I am able to work outside (job interviews were a nightmare, not anymore) meet friends, or just go places where there are people without feeling so horrible. I am not 100% healed, I think it would be impossible to reach perfection, but I learned to deal with my pain and to tame my anxiety. you can too, good luck and don't give up! 

[Shaun1094]

30 minutes ago, ScarecrowsFate said:

@kevao97  So, I'm not the only one on here. My SAD was once so severe that I couldn't leave the house, because I thought the neighbors were staring at me and judging me through their windows. It's such a debilitating condition. After two cycles of cognitive behavioral therapy, I've made substantial improvements, although I'm quite far from being cured. Glad to hear your treatment was so successful; gives me some hope, at least.

That must’ve been a tough time. Doesn’t matter how small or big the steps you take towards getting better, a step is a step which is improvement. Keep doing what you’re doing and pushing on, I hope you get to where you wanna be ?. I’m always a message away if anyone wants to talk 

18 minutes ago, kevao97 said:

it's exactly how you described it. I could easily go weeks or months without leaving the house, in fact it was years like that.  it is an unsustainable condition of life. persist in treatment, mine was also cognitive behavioral. nowadays I am able to work outside (job interviews were a nightmare, not anymore) meet friends, or just go places where there are people without feeling so horrible. I am not 100% healed, I think it would be impossible to reach perfection, but I learned to deal with my pain and to tame my anxiety. you can too, good luck and don't give up! 

Perfection doesn’t exist, nobody is perfect. We all have demons but eventually we learn how to deal with them better. Sounds like you’ve managed to get yourself into a much better place and I’m happy to hear that  

[AJ_Radio]

9 hours ago, Shaun1094 said:

Perfection doesn’t exist, nobody is perfect. We all have demons but eventually we learn how to deal with them better. Sounds like you’ve managed to get yourself into a much better place and I’m happy to hear that  

 

So how would you go about people who are perfectionists?

[Shaun1094]

6 hours ago, AJ_Radio said:

 

So how would you go about people who are perfectionists?

I think perfectionists spend their life trying to have everything perfect but nothing is perfect. Anything can be as close to perfect as possible but I don’t think anything or anyone will ever be perfect. I would say perfectionists are never truly happy with everything because they are always going to be trying to make it better instead of being content. That’s just my

opinion though as I am not a perfectionist.

[StraightVege]

I don't always remember to do this yet, but something from therapy which helped is the realization that I can't actually define what perfection is regarding most things in life. What exactly is the "perfect" way to complete a task, or the "perfect" way to have a social interaction? Does it even exist? Paradoxically, pressuring myself to be perfect usually just makes my performance suffer. Things seem to go more smoothly when you relax and do your best. You also have to learn to accept the outcome, without beating yourself up over mistakes.

 

Easier said than done, of course!

 

Edited October 27, 2021 by ScarecrowsFate

[Shaun1094]

16 minutes ago, ScarecrowsFate said:

I don't always remember to do this yet, but something from therapy which helped is the realization that I can't actually define what perfection is regarding most things in life. What exactly is the "perfect" way to complete a task, or the "perfect" way to have a social interaction? Does it even exist? Paradoxically, pressuring myself to be perfect usually just makes my performance suffer. Things seem to go more smoothly when you relax and do your best. You also have to learn to accept the outcome, without beating yourself up over mistakes.

 

Easier said than done, of course!

 

I couldn’t agree more! 

[Shaun1094]

To anyone that reads this, I know Christmas is a difficult time for a lot of people myself included. I, like a lot of people, miss somebody who is no longer here and it makes Christmas Day a tough time for me to deal with. Luckily I have a lot of very loving and caring people around me to help me deal with it better but I know a large amount of people don’t have that luxury. 
 

If you’re reading this and struggling with mental health, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me by posting in this thread/messaging me on here or PSN. That might put you off because I don’t know you but sometimes that’s better than speaking to someone you know because there’s no judgment but everyone is different. 
 

If you don’t feel like talking about it but just need some company, I’ll be happy to chat with you about anything you want over PSN messages. You’re not alone. 
 

Merry Christmas all!

[MrHappyPants]

I also suffer from depression and sometimes it gets really bad that i have suicidal thoughts and have tried killing myself a few times, sometimes when I am at work I try not to break down crying. There is sometimes I just wanna lock myself in the bathroom and then slash the fuck out of myself with a razor. (Have done it before). Simply life is a bitch. Nothing really turns out good for me. Everyone I meet or talk to usually ending up not liking me at all (one of the reasons why I am seriously depressed) because when I try to talk to them I usually get ignored or brushed aside. Last week I had a mental breakdown and spent an 3 hours alone cuddling up in a corner trying to calm myself down. I try to be happy but I haven’t felt true happiness in a very long time, there is nothing inside me but a deep dark void of nothingness. I hope death comes for me soon, I’ve been sick of living for the past 15 years..

[Shaun1094]

On 07/01/2022 at 9:45 PM, DerHerzeleid said:

I also suffer from depression and sometimes it gets really bad that i have suicidal thoughts and have tried killing myself a few times, sometimes when I am at work I try not to break down crying. There is sometimes I just wanna lock myself in the bathroom and then slash the fuck out of myself with a razor. (Have done it before). Simply life is a bitch. Nothing really turns out good for me. Everyone I meet or talk to usually ending up not liking me at all (one of the reasons why I am seriously depressed) because when I try to talk to them I usually get ignored or brushed aside. Last week I had a mental breakdown and spent an 3 hours alone cuddling up in a corner trying to calm myself down. I try to be happy but I haven’t felt true happiness in a very long time, there is nothing inside me but a deep dark void of nothingness. I hope death comes for me soon, I’ve been sick of living for the past 15 years..

Shit man. I’ve been there before so I understand how you feel to a degree. Sorry for the really late reply, I haven’t been feeling good myself lately so I’ve avoided interacting with people and haven’t even checked this thread. If you want to talk about anything I’m only a message away. Life is a bitch and is filled with negative things but there is positive things out there and I believe you will eventually see that and start to let go of the negative things. Why do you feel like people don’t like you? I think you’re meeting the wrong people. Have you ever tried counselling or therapy? It really helped me a lot and completely changed my outlook on things. If you don’t feel comfortable replying on here then like I said by all means message me on PSN. Hope things pick up for you soon mate 

[AJ_Radio]

I find it very tragic that this type of behavior is becoming commonplace in a world that is heading towards a complete dystopia.

 

I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but there are Discord groups full of 13 - 20 year old kids who consistently express no hope for their own futures. They're constantly talking about hurting themselves, backing themselves into a corner because they can't handle real life situations, etc etc. It's very depressing. I strongly advise these children to seek professional help, but I'm only one person and there's only so much I can do.

 

I was an autistic kid growing up in the 1990s and I didn't learn the same way most other kids did at that time. I displayed a learning disability in early childhood and I had to have a mentor with me until I was about 12 or 13 years old. My school placed me in some special ed teaching exercises, I couldn't pronounce certain words correctly. Couldn't even tie my own shoes. Looking back, I wish I had the amount of help and resources these kids today have. Back then those resources weren't available. Most grownups at least here in America were only beginning to understand autism and how it affects children. In past generations, autistic children were treated even worse. I've definitely heard stories of kids in the 1950s - 1980s being bullied relentlessly for having autism.

 

Case in point, a lot of kids will bully and poke fun at other children who are different. That's the sad reality, and for those who are overly sensitive, that experience can transcend well into adulthood. I was a lot more sensitive when I was 16 - 20 years old, partially because I sort of took a lot of things seriously and I didn't know the real world. Now that I'm older, a lot of stuff doesn't affect me as emotionally anymore.

 

This may not be a solution, but if social media is making you depressed, then I suggest you stop using it. I think it's safe to say the mainstream appeal of social media has really severely impacted this generation to the point where maintaining a relationship has now become very fragile and volatile. There are lots of kids who are depressed and I think there is a strong correlation between depression and social media. Plenty of articles have been posted about this correlation from psychologists and doctors. COVID-19 basically amplified everything and made things worse.

 

Stop playing multiplayer games like Fortnite as well if they make you depressed. Griefers and trolls in an online game can have a negative reaction with certain individuals. Stop using the PSNProfiles forums if they make you depressed. This place isn't really a solution if you're looking to take away your depression. In my experience, forum websites like this one more often than not bring out the worst in us, partially due to anonymity, partially because many of us don't feel guilty for the consequences for our actions.

 

Hang in there. Times are tough, but you just need to pull through. Don't dwell in the past, that's not good for you.

[Shaun1094]

On 27/01/2022 at 1:13 AM, AJ_Radio said:

I find it very tragic that this type of behavior is becoming commonplace in a world that is heading towards a complete dystopia.

 

I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but there are Discord groups full of 13 - 20 year old kids who consistently express no hope for their own futures. They're constantly talking about hurting themselves, backing themselves into a corner because they can't handle real life situations, etc etc. It's very depressing. I strongly advise these children to seek professional help, but I'm only one person and there's only so much I can do.

 

I was an autistic kid growing up in the 1990s and I didn't learn the same way most other kids did at that time. I displayed a learning disability in early childhood and I had to have a mentor with me until I was about 12 or 13 years old. My school placed me in some special ed teaching exercises, I couldn't pronounce certain words correctly. Couldn't even tie my own shoes. Looking back, I wish I had the amount of help and resources these kids today have. Back then those resources weren't available. Most grownups at least here in America were only beginning to understand autism and how it affects children. In past generations, autistic children were treated even worse. I've definitely heard stories of kids in the 1950s - 1980s being bullied relentlessly for having autism.

 

Case in point, a lot of kids will bully and poke fun at other children who are different. That's the sad reality, and for those who are overly sensitive, that experience can transcend well into adulthood. I was a lot more sensitive when I was 16 - 20 years old, partially because I sort of took a lot of things seriously and I didn't know the real world. Now that I'm older, a lot of stuff doesn't affect me as emotionally anymore.

 

This may not be a solution, but if social media is making you depressed, then I suggest you stop using it. I think it's safe to say the mainstream appeal of social media has really severely impacted this generation to the point where maintaining a relationship has now become very fragile and volatile. There are lots of kids who are depressed and I think there is a strong correlation between depression and social media. Plenty of articles have been posted about this correlation from psychologists and doctors. COVID-19 basically amplified everything and made things worse.

 

Stop playing multiplayer games like Fortnite as well if they make you depressed. Griefers and trolls in an online game can have a negative reaction with certain individuals. Stop using the PSNProfiles forums if they make you depressed. This place isn't really a solution if you're looking to take away your depression. In my experience, forum websites like this one more often than not bring out the worst in us, partially due to anonymity, partially because many of us don't feel guilty for the consequences for our actions.

 

Hang in there. Times are tough, but you just need to pull through. Don't dwell in the past, that's not good for you.

I agree there are a lot more resources for kids transitioning into teens and teens transitions into adults that have struggles because things like autism and ADHD are becoming a lot more normalised in today’s world. Back then nobody understood so people that had these difficulties were looked at as outcasts. 
 

Social media is one of the main problems in our society. Teenage girls are becoming depressed because they don’t look like all these fake Kardashians etc who use editing software to completely manipulate their photos and give teenage girls a complex because they think they’re ugly in comparison. Instagram is full of it also.

 

I’m lucky enough to very thick-skinned, it takes a lot to get to me but a lot of people don’t have that luxury and can become quite distraught by things said to them. Games like Fortnite are definitely not for the faint-hearted like you said they are full of toxic kids and trolls and bullies.  Better to try and play singleplayer games if you want to avoid all of that