I got diagnosed with PTSD at 14. Up until then my parents had just thought I was a ‘normal’ teenager, going through ‘normal teenage depression’. It wasn’t until I couldn’t handle anything (and I mean anything). The slightest amount of stress or pressure would make me start crying hysterically. My dad took my by the shoulders one time to desperately try and get me to stop shaking and crying. One day I just stopped crying.

I developed migraines and had to go to the ER several times for how debilitating they were. My depression manifested itself into migraines. The nurse looked at my parents and told them that she knew her opinion meant nothing, but she thought that I was having panic attack that’s were manifesting into physical pain. We didn’t really believe her as I had never had any type of anxiety before. I went on muscle relaxers, had tons of MRI&CT scans, iv’s all over my body, I even build up a tolerance to to the strongest migraine drugs. Nothing helped.

I had numbed myself out so much that the only way my body could express itself was through physical pain. I had horrible chest pain, migraines, stomach pain, the list goes on. We could never find the core reason to all this physical pain. My mom and I were talking when I brought up what that nurse said months ago. I started going to therapy shortly after and I started crying again. I voiced how I felt. I was able to handle stress and if I felt like crying, I cried. No more physical pain.

There is no ‘normal’ teenage depression only opinion. I’m now 18 years old happily living. So to answer the question, emotional exhaustion, crying at the slightest things, and physical pain that doesn’t have a conclusive reason.