Anxiety and Depression

Dear Cordelia,

I have been suffering from severe Anxiety and Panic Attacks since I was pretty young. For years I have been seeing a therapist and a psychologist, but my parents refuse to let me take any actual medication for the two. They believe that modern medicine is a myth and that all the medications are just placebos. How can I convince my parents to let me try to take pills for my anxiety? My psychologist says it's better for me. I just need them to switch me to a psychiatrist. What is the best way to talk to them about this?

~Anxious About My Anxiety

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Dear Anxious About My Anxiety,

Personally, I have suffered through intense anxiety and depression for years. A lot of this came about back when I was younger and I was so worried about talking to my parents. Everyone was so adamant about giving me their opinion about how they understood how I felt and how that was normal. The whole time, the things that they were describing were so far away from what I felt that I convinced myself that there was something wrong with me because I wasn’t experiencing that “normal” they were describing.

But at the same time, how could they have known what I was feeling if I didn’t fight to make them aware. I recommend sitting down with them and explaining what you are going through and what you are feeling. If you are worried or afraid of how they might react, try meeting with a school counselor first and then having them be a mediator for the conversation with your parents.

From experience, I know that it is an extremely daunting conversation to have, but the more you put it off, the more your anxiety will ramp up. If it is too hard of a discussion to have alone, maybe having your psychologist there would help? Ask them to attend a session with you and when the psychologist has you explain what you are feeling, make sure you explain it with as many details as possible so your parents have a better chance to fully understand what you are feeling and experiencing. This might make all the difference.

I hope this helps! Please let us know how it goes!

~Cordelia Cross