My name is Carmen

I feel like my family hates me. They get mad at me for my bad grades and they say I don't study when I do study. I just can't help it that I get REALLY stressed out during tests. When I'm in a bad mood I try to keep myself away from anyone so that I won't start shouting but then my family gets mad at me for being by myself instead of with the family. They are always making me feel upset and I am constantly crying because of what they have been saying to me and I have been feeling more and more negative each day and I have been feeling emptiness and it has been getting to the point where I feel like I might have depression. What should I do

Dear Carmen,

I looked up Statistics about Stress in Students and got these facts:

• More than a quarter (27%) say they experience "extreme stress" during the school year, vs. 13% in the summer. And 34% expect stress to increase in the coming year.

• 40% of teens report feeling irritable or angry; 36% nervous or anxious. A third say stress makes them feel overwhelmed, depressed or sad. Teen girls are more stressed than boys, just as women nationally are more stressed than men.

• 32% say they experience headaches because of stress; 26% report changes in sleeping habits.

• 26% report snapping at or being short with classmates or teammates when under stress.

And that's only from one website (USA Today New). Possibly telling your family and showing them these statistics could help them understand you better.

If you feel like you have depression, or anxiety, or any other serious issue, you need to notify your parents.

Tell them about your constant crying and emptiness. You can also mention that this could be the reason your mood has been off and why you have been distancing yourself from them.

If your parents don't do anything about it or if they accuse you of being weak or something obscure like that, go to a counselor. I know in movies and books when people go to counselors they hate it and are forced to go, but you need to realize that you are the top priority in your life. Doing good in school means a lot, but not if it is damaging your mentality.

If you need anything else I'm here for you.

-Rose