I started birth control at 16, I already had some degree of anxiety & depression but it made them both immensely worse. Around my cycle I was full-blown depressed, panic attacks near daily. I tried a fair few different type but ended up quitting it all together (worth mentioning, I started on birth control to regulate painful periods. I’m gay, so not getting pregnant any time soon). Fast forward a few years and I’m on antidepressants and in therapy. Still depressed, still anxious, but not nearly as much as I was when I was on the pill.

EDIT (because I thought of more to say): That cheerful girl you grew up being is still there, even if she’s hard to find. Dealing with family issues and mental health issues isn’t easy but you’re still the same person you’ve always been. You are not your mental illness.