Could any of these symptoms be related to some kind of depression?

Sounds more like a sort of freeform anxiety to me. Note that that isn’t a diagnostic term! :)

Could be brought on by stress, sure. But I don’t think I could make any sort of definitive judgment. For the moment, try to keep yourself busy and see if that helps a bit until you can see a counselor.

It sounds more like anxiety than depression, though the two are often linked. Obsessive thought disorder is another possibility (also related to anxiety). Definitely calls for that trip to the counselor to get it sorted out. You’re far too young to spend so much time worrying.

And Happy Birthday!

I’m no psychologist but given the details of your question, it certainly appears like you are experiencing stress as opposed to symptoms of depression. It also seems like you are prone to worrying about situations that are outside of your control.

Counseling is a good idea and with your plans already in place to get that help, you seem to be making a healthy stride in working through your current dilemmas. Best of luck to you.

Happy Birthday!

Sorry about the crap you’re dealing with, it seems more like anxiety to me. Anxiety can however be connected to depression. Definitely speak to a counselor. I wish you the best of luck. :)

Sorry to hear things have been stressful for you lately. Are you having any other symptoms? For instance, have you noticed any changes in your appetite or weight, either increasing or decreasing? What about changes in your sleep patterns? Are you having any trouble thinking, or concentrating, or making decisions? Do you often feel very guilty or worthless? Do you get less pleasure out of things you used to enjoy? Are you noticing anything else out of the ordinary for you?

And, of course, happy birthday! I think for a lot of us, 20 is a crazy year, full of adventure and novelty and, naturally, stress. Hopefully the good kind, though.

In addition to the great answers above, I would suggest getting your blood work done. My cousin went though a similar obsession around this time (in addition to other symptoms) and it turned out she had a malfunctioning thyroid.

I hope you don’t consider this too off topic… but when i was young i never thought i would make it to my 21st birthday… i was just convinced i would die somehow before i got there… life was too hard…simply too painful and thought i couldn’t deal with it… I also worried A LOT… not necessarily about other people but about myself all the time…what would happen to me on the way to school, if i would get beaten up, the world was a scary place. I don’t know if it is at all relevant…but I’ve been reading recently how we project our own problems onto other people and we identify traits, qualities and problems in other people that are in fact our own issues and concerns, problem etc.

Could it be that you are worried about yourself in any way, but haven’t realised it? I could be totally way off the mark here… it’s just a thought?? I’ve only suggested this because I’ve never heard of the external anxiety before and I’ve read a lot about depression… You could also be worried that you will lose these people from your life… i guess and that would make more sense… an anxiety that’s not entirely external at all…Are you worried about being left alone…abandoned in any way?

Dang. You probably didn’t have the best birthday, then, huh?

@lynneblundell‘s questions are good ones. I can’t hope to help you with your problems. I recently went through some scary anxiety attacks, but they never involved anything as scary as fear of death. It seems to me that if you are struggling with that very basic fear, then all others could follow.

I hope you find a solution to this… Remember that there are people here on Fluther prepared to help you however we can.

Was it this question that freaked you out?

I have to very much disagree with some of the other posts here, what you’re describing could be a symptom of depression.

Recurrent thoughts of death and abnormal levels of anxiety are potential symptoms of clinical depression but the strongest indicator of such is that you’re wondering if it is depression. Many people don’t recognise the symptoms of depression because they’re not apparently sudden and/or attributable to stress and other enviromental factors. If you’re wondering if it’s depression it’s worth speaking to someone about it.

Keep in mind though you could just be going through a depressive time in life due to your living situation, have another issue that’s causing the depression (like Seasonal Affective Disorder if you’re in a cold place), or actually have clinical depression.

Regardless of what it might be it’s important to investigate – if symptoms of depression are persisting for an extended period of time for you they won’t go away on their own and there are a variety of excellent ways of improving your situation. You lose nothing by seeing someone and stand to make yourself feel a whole lot better, trust me.

If you’d like, feel free to PM me with any further questions!

You may also want to be evaluated by a doctor or a psychiatrist. Counsellors don’t always know very much about the chemistry of depression and anxiety. So many people are misdiagnosed with depression, when they are really bipolar, and they get an antidepressant, which sends them into mania. That’s just an example.

I’m not suggesting bipolar disorder, although Nikipedia’s questions are ones you would ask to have a suggestion that it could be more than depression or anxiety. I would add some more questions: have you ever had a feeling that your thoughts have been racing, or that you are smarter than everyone else in the last year or so? Have you been spending money unwisely, or having more sex with more guys than you usually do?

Whatever the deal is, I’m sorry you are going through this. It sounds quite unpleasant. I wish you the best.

In order of severity, the standard med. check list. The whole shebang at WebMD

What are symptoms of depression?
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of depression may include the following:

“difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
fatigue and decreased energy
feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
irritability, restlessness
loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
overeating or appetite loss
persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings”

I have a few of the symptoms on gailcalled’s list (feelings of guilt, loss of appetite, excessive sleeping, headaches, decreased energy) which is part of the reason why I asked about depression specifically. I don’t honestly know why I’m feeling this way and I’d like to figure out why before I tell anyone. I feel like it might just be me being home because my sleeping patterns are different, my routine is not set, and there is less for me to occupy my time. At school, my schedule is much more flexible because I don’t have to ask permission. Yeah, I’m 20 years old now, but as long as I’m living in my mother’s house, I have to obey her rules which pretty much means getting permission from her to do anything. At school, I can just call a friend and say, “Let’s go to the mall now, I’m driving,” but here, my mom gets angry or frustrated if I do something without planning it out and telling her first (which may be where the feelings of guilt come from). At school, I have so much more to distract me so if I text someone and they don’t text back right away, I don’t think something horrible has happened because I’m watching a movie with friends or at a party or just generally distracted. In all honesty, putting it here on fluther and talking about it is making me feel a little better, but I will still talk to a counselor when I get back to school.

@shadling: I didn’t even see that question. It’s less the fear of them dying that bothers me and more the fear that I can’t help them or that they would die because of something I did or didn’t do.

Whatever the case may be, I hope things are looking up for you soon. <hug>

@KatawaGrey so you feel powerless… classic sign of depression if you ask me…

KatawaGrey I think you’re definitely already being a lot more proactive about improving your condition (whatever it may be ) then most people by seeing a counselor. The other thing I’ll mention is that depression can be treated with many different combinations of approaches and therapies.

If you aren’t satisfied with your sessions with the counsellor or would like to try alternative approaches feel feel to ask for other sources of help or a different approach.

On a more personal note I totally know what you’re going through – hang in there and know that with help it does get better.