Can depressed people be loved?
I put a sexual assault warning even though I only mention it briefly. I’m an orphan and I was surrendered due to my mom’s mental health issues. I have severe depression. Maybe linked to sexual abuse I experienced as a kid or genetics but probably both. I don’t know if I’m lovable, because usually I can’t get out of bed for days and I can’t shower or brush my teeth. I’ve never hugged anyone before, not even in greeting. I’ve also never been told or said myself ‘I love you’ or had a friend. No family. I don’t have behavioral problems like violence or anything, I’m just really lethargic and quiet. I don’t have any hobbies or interests besides reading but I haven’t been able to read in a while because I can’t focus when I try. I don’t use my phone that much and I don’t have social media, I kind of just sleep all day. This is my first time using Reddit or talking about any of this in general. Or even thinking about it. I have a foggy mind. I don’t really eat. I don’t feel or experience much daily, but I often find myself sad, shameful, and exhausted. So I don’t feel alive. I’ve only been fostered once when I was 13 and they gave me back after a month. I’m 18 now. I’m going to have to leave soon. I know I’m really quiet and I don’t know how to do anything in life but I still want someone to hug me and tell me it’s okay. Or just a friend who can help me get up when I need to. I don’t know what it would feel like to be hugged, but it would probably be amazing. I don’t even have any extended family. It was really hard on me to stay in my room while I knew everyone else was re-connecting with their family, being adopted, or being fostered. Though it is kind of my own fault because I never talk to anyone. I’ve done online school my whole life and have never had a friend before. I’m not going to college. I don’t think I can get a job, so I’ll probably end up in an apartment for a few days then inevitably become homeless because I can’t support myself, so I’ll probably die soon, which is sad but inevitable because of the way I’ve lived my life. I don’t actively consider killing myself, I just feel like that’s where my life is going. I’m not asking someone to tell me they love me or anything. I want to wake up to someone helping me out of bed to brush my teeth and hugging me. Just something. Even if it’s just once and then they leave me forever. I just can’t remember a single face from my life. The only positive memories I can remember are my birthday parties, but only the staff attended and I know I was assigned a random fake birthday and they were just doing their job. It was still the closest I’ve felt to affection though. I feel like everyone but me has been loved before. How do people with severe depression be loved? In my situation, how do I connect with someone or make a friend? There’s nothing waiting for me. I don’t really think it’s possible since I can’t even get up. I’ve never had a patch of good days in my life. I have always been depressed. How do I feel better? I’ll receive government support once I’m kicked out (soon, since I’m an adult now) which will be enough to live and eat but I won’t have money for therapy and medication, which I didn’t even know was an option. I don’t even know what normal people do. Anyways, let me know.
Posted Aug 8, 2025, 4:54 PM UTC