School (exams).

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Daisey

New member
I have my first set of major exams in May time next year. When I think it about it, it seems a long way off but I know it's only a few months. All of my friends have started revising, some of them even have private tutors, but I can't even bear thinking about opening a book and studying even just for five minutes. I don't want to say I'm depressed because I immediately associate that with somebody who is begging their friends to hate them or something, but I'm beginning to think I am. Apparently a really high percentage of teenagers go through the first stages of depression but manage to help themselves out. Hearing that makes me think that what I'm going through is the same thing as everyone else, but all of my friends are studying and I'm not. Last night I had to write up revision notes for Chemistry and copy out stuff for French in preparation for a speaking test. I did that. It counts as revision, I guess, but I just saw it as homework, something I really didn't want to do and I saw as a pointless task. I know what I have to do but I just can't do it, and then I get upset over it and then don't feel up to doing anything and it just keeps going on and on. I even thought about asking my mum if I could maybe go see some sort of specialist, but I'm too scared she'll either laugh (I'm not being paranoid, she's really homophobic, racist and mean to anyone who is disadvantaged in society.) or she'll say no and ignore me. I don't know which would be worse. Even if she considered it, we wouldn't be able to afford it. It's not like we're poor, but my parents are working long enough hours as it is to pay the bills recently and I don't want to add to that. The whole crap at home with my brother definitely hasn't helped, neither has being dumped, but I just feel like life is shitting on me because it can, and I can't do anything about it.
 
getting motivated about things you don't see a purpose in, is not easy. and all the labels we throw around these days, cause many to be medicated when they really just needed a boost/helping hand. i won't ignore your feelings, though. you feel like there may be something going on, so yeh, i'd say look into it. your school should have some type of counseling service, so set-up an appointment with someone there. they get a lot of this type of concern and should be better equipped to offer advice and tell you if further action is needed.

what do you do to avoid the work that needs to be completed? how is that time spent?
 
Our school doesn't have any kind of counselling available. Normally I'm either on the internet, ranting away on forums like this one, or chatting to friends via an IM program (used to switch between AIM and MSN, then I deleted AIM in anger and it's been MSN ever since.)
 
Dude i am going through exactly the same thing... i got my exams coming up in a few a months, and i wanna pass..... but i just cannot revise for more than 5 mins. So now ive like given up and thought "If i really really wanted to pass, i would do all the revision.... im not doing it so guess i dont want it enough" and theres nothing i can do.. i mean, like now im sposed to be revising, but im here on my comp as usual

so im just doing the tiny amount that i can bare, and hope im lucky. Hopefully like a few weeks before the exams, it will finally hit me and i'll think OMG I GOTTA REVISE... but now i just dont have the motivation



well good luck with it all :tongue:
 
What set of "major" exams? Year 9 SATS, year 10 exams, year 11 mocks or the actual GCSEs? Oh, or A-levels.

Well, I've done SATs and I've done y10 exams, got my mocks coming up next month.

My best advice to you is not to worry, I'm the same as you. I lack motivation in anything academic, but I'm lucky and I manage to get high marks in most exams (I'm a geek).

To be brutally honest, you should go to your mum and ask for a therapist if thats what you think is right for you. If she laughs in your face, you have every right to turn around and call her a crap parent, because I sure would. She's probably never felt the way this generation has with more exams than ever..
 
I just feel like I have to add something, it's been a long time since I've logged on this account and read some of the stuff on this forum.

I'm 14, and am 80% sure I have depression. About 2 months ago when school started I never really "cared" about anything anymore and just kind of went because I had to. My grades are dropping fast because I'm not absorbing any of the work in classes and can't bring myself to do homework, everything is just kind of falling apart. (Bare in mind I graduated my last 2 grades with honors in all subjects, I am by no means a stupid student)

The worst part about it all is I don't really care, but I KNOW I should. I asked my mom to let me see a therapist half a month ago and have gone a few times. Get the courage to ask, they really aren't anything that they're made out to be and can help.

I couldn't bring myself to ask the student counsellor for help, I don't know why.

It's good to post on WTF again, I think this is only my second post ever.
 
....I never ever studied for a test more then five mintues and that was only tests I had to memorize things. 98 percent of the time I passed and 70 of that I got a B or above so I have no idea what your going through. Personally if you work smart and hard later in life you can do well even if you dont do so hot in school.
 
You don't need to see a specialist for your first forays into seeing someone about depression. Just go see your normal GP and tell him/her how you're feeling. If you're over the age of 15 then you're protected by patient confidentiality so your mother need never find out what you were seeing the doctor for. Especially as minors in full-time education get free prescriptions, so you wont even need to ask her for money if you get given any pills.

Edited to add: I was first diagnosed with depression at the age of 16, and it was a huge revelation because it suddenly explained the way I'd been feeling my entire life. I thought that being miserable and unmotivated was normal and how everyone else felt all the time. It's not.
 
i used to be the same way,
whats help for me is to find some sort of release from stress.
You know you gotta do revision and shit like that, but find something to occupy the rest of the time.
For me, music was my release, I was stressed and anxious and nervous all the time, but I picked up a guitar and was able to use that as my release against all the stress.
It helped me get my mind off of things.
Even if it helps you think of other things for even just a litte bit, it still helps.
But, thats just me.
 
That brings up a good point. One of the best ways for me to get work done is do it during downtime in my video games or when I'm watching an Anime every episode I would stop do a few problems or work on it a little then go back. This method is especially good if you have a lot of time before you need to finish something.
 
You MUST focus.

Concentration: If you have this, you can suceed in everything. If you can't think about opening a book, it might be due to a lack of interest on your part. Try and develop some interest for the subject and you will excel in it. This is advice from another student.
 
Ah, well, I live in Scotland, I'm not sure what it'd be in England, but it's my Standard Grade exams. Which I think are the equivalent of GCSEs.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm 15, does that mean I can go to my GP confidentially, Talitha?
 
I took a look at the NHS scotland website and found a 'best practice' guideline for child mental health. The section you're interested in is this one - look at the bottom under 'confidentiality'. As long as you're deemed capable of giving consent to treatment, then you have the same confidentiality rights as an adult. You could phone your GP surgery to ask before you turn up if you're worried, but I think you'll be ok.

If you need urgent help or advice, then http://www.childline.org/ is probably a good place to call too. But if you ever feel at risk of hurting yourself or (god forbid) killing yourself, then go straight to A&E and don't worry about whether your mother finds out or not. Your health and your life is more important.
 
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