Family will not accept it...

[cmakin]

Hi,
I'm new so...be kind
I've been battling with depression & anxiety for 8 years now (since being 12, I am now 20) yet my closest family members have never accepted it, saying I'm fine and I will grow out of it,
I've been to the doctors who told me I was suffering from major depression sent me to councilling until being 17 when I decided it was no longer doing any use, And earlier this year I was put on anti-depressants which seemed to help and I am still taking them, From being 13 - 18 I OD'd several times being taken into hospital the final time and never attempted since.
My family are aware of all this except for the anti-depressants, except for my grandpa who I told and he shouted at me telling me there is no need for me to be on them, I get my good days and my bad days but when I do get my bad days I need my family around me but they get angry saying there is nothing wrong and I'm being soft and need to snap out of it.
How do I get them to accept I that I'm not okay and sometimes I just need them to lean on or just a phone call?
It's driving me insane not having thier support
Any advice?
Thankyou.

[alyssaswoon]

My family sound pretty similar to yours actually.
My parents (and most of my extended family) believe that no one needs medication, you can always get through whatever it is on your own; whether it be a mental illness or physical pain.
I've been suffering from depression and anxiety since I was around 12 and I never started a medication for it until I turned 20 (I'm 22 now) because I had no job and my parents refused to pay for it because I "didn't need it". Even after me attempting suicide and them seeing cuts all over my body they still didn't think medication was the way. So I got my doctor to write them a small note explaining how medication might help me in a lot of ways and nothing worse will happen to me by just trying some medication.
At first they were hesitant, but then I got frank with them and told them my feelings. How at one moment I feel like I'm on top of the world and happy go lucky to the points where my chest feels like someone is standing on it because my depression is so saddening it physically hurts. I also told them I thought of suicide almost every day, and that scared them. My father finally said something, and he said, "Well I don't necessarily believe in relying on medicine to make your life easier, but I cannot stand the thought of losing my daughter if something as simple as a pill could help her". That's when they offered to pay for all of my therapy and medication so long as I tell them when I'm feeling really down.
Before that if I was sad I used to lie and say I had a fight with a friend or something so they would console my sadness, even if they were consoling a lie, they were still there for me telling me everything would be okay. My parents still don't really understand my depression/anxiety but even having them not nagging me to "get off the pills" did a world of good.