Story Submission by Andrew, Age 17
I began to notice my depression in the middle of Year 11. I was 16 and had fallen out with the majority of the friends I once went to for support due to my non-acceptance of their somewhat abusive uses of alcohol, drugs and just general partying where I’d rather stay at home curled up watching a documentary on ABC2. Call me old fashioned, but that’s just how it began.
It wasn’t until Year 12 when I sought help for it. Realising that I wasn’t going to get any better by fighting it on my own, I was put on medication and an appointment with a counsellor was made. These things made no huge improvement in my emotions, though I feel they did help to stabilise them.
The big leap in my mood however was finally getting my first car and then finally my license. No longer was I constrained to the bounds of my parents, my home, my neighbourhood, I was able to venture out when things got rough and calm down. I constantly work on my car and it is now a source of pride which I can show the world.
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