I became very depressed my first year in college. I felt very alone. My parents were scared for me, and they sometimes replicated stigma in their concern.
Once I called home during a bad episode, looking to my parents to talk me through my anguish and panic. Alarmed, my father reacted by telling me that he had had a really tough day at work and he couldn’t deal with me right now.
He ridiculed me for treating my situation as an emergency. As a result, I felt shame and embarrassment for calling– I felt that I was “dumping on them.”At the same time, I was seeking out my college’s resources for counseling.
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