I recently realized that I was depressed (did anyone else take three or more years to realize this?) and went to seek help. I went to counseling, but it didn't help because I didn't know HOW to get helped. Believe me, help is not something you receive, it is something you create, usually with outside assistance.
After giving up on the first counselor and the medication that was prescribed, I felt even worse than before and started wondering if admitting to my parents (and no one else, not even best friends) that I was depressed gave me a license to "act" depressed. This, of course was not so.
I eventually learned that depression is not so much a disease as a behavior--a cognitive distortion of reality. After seeking professional help a second time, as well as laying things out completely with my mother, (my confidant--who is yours?) I was finally on the right track. I took out a book that was highly recommended--"
FEELING GOOD, by David Burns and things really started to improve. I then started reading religious material-Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism. Although I am very anti-religion, I found something good in it all. After reading about Buddhism, I started meditation, which led to yoga. The stretching really improves my bloodflow and consequently my psyche. And I also have returned to my medication.
If this sounds like a lot, it is. If there's one thing I would recommend to everyone it's getting a copy of the "Feeling Good Handbook". It is without a doubt the most important element of my recovery. I guess my sanity is what you would call high maintenance, but so are high-performance cars. I have realized through this episode that communication and mental perception are the greatest tools to getting you on the right track. And everyone-I repeat-EVERYONE-can start feeling better in weeks if they start tackling their issues today.
Dalnet, I want to say specifically to you, as a hopeless romantic myself, that one crush is not worth a life. Do you think no one would care? I don't even know you and I care. I, too, tend to idealize girls I meet. You can't always get what you most desire, but life is like that. Please keep an open dialogue with us so that we can share your grief.