Teenage Depression Help

Q: I wonder how well-understood bipolarity was in 1968, anyway. There was that term "manic depression" but I doubt even the medical community had anything resembling today's understanding of the condition.

A:It's strange to try and remember the teenage years...a lot of it is a blur... In some ways, I didn't get more rebeliious until around 17 or 18, though I guess in some ways I was rebellious before then... I was just in my own world a great deal of the time.. sometimes I get very frustrated that I'm still working on a lot of the same issues that I was working on(or not working on) back then... still, somehow(I'm often not sure how) I managed to have some good freinds back then,and I'll be forever grateful for that.. Well, my daughter went to another party last night, guys and gals. No problem at all with me, she has a great group of friends and I'm thrilled that she has a social life, something I never had at her age. I drove her friend to and from the party as well. Driving home we talked about what they did at the party, and at one point they told me how they played truth or dare in detail. Now, I remember playing truth or dare when I was younger too, so it's no big deal, right? Well, my parents were neglectful and had no idea what was going on, and I don't know that they would have cared. But when it comes to my kids, I *do* care and I want to know (my daughter confides a lot in me I believe, just about everything) what's going on. It's my job to be protective as well and to guide her through these trying years. None of these kids drink or do drugs, nothing like that. Still, I just worry about her getting involved sexually at a young age (she's 15 1/2) I don't want her getting hurt, which I think would happen pretty easily for her. She knows all 'the facts' and she talks to me about the boys she likes, etc. I'm probably being overprotective to worry when she hasn't even kissed a boy yet, but I also know that it doesn't take much to go from kissing to other things. Shoot, I'm not sure why I'm even posting this, everyone has different views regarding how young is too young to get into any type of intimacy....I just worry. I don't want to put any restrictions on her, she's given me no cause to. I guess this is where I say I raised her as best I could and have to hope she makes good choices for herself. Man, it was so much easier in some ways when she was younger. *sighs remembering when she was my little girl* Really, no drinking or drugging or smoking. She just has very

high moral standards, and I know none of her friends do, or if they do they don't do it around her, or she'd tell me. Yes, I know you're right, that this is a time for her to find out who she is and become more independant. And I'll let her do that up to a certain point. I guess the biggest thing I worry about is teenage pressure...that's pretty powerful. From the party she had here and the sleepover, I know she said and did some things that she might not have normally done but her friends were. Sighs, well I can't be with her 24/7, I know that too, and the best I can do is teach her as well as I can and set limits and then hope she chooses wisely with the rest.