You just went through something in your life that you don't feel you can handle. You're feeling extremely anxious and depressed. Thoughts are racing through your mind. You either can't stop thinking about the problem or you refuse to think about it at all. Other people keep asking you what is wrong with you. They are concerned that you don't seem to be handling things well.

You don't know any other way to handle the situation that you are in. You seem to be lacking the planning and coping skills that other people have. They seem to be more resilient than you are. You just want this part of your life to go away. You want things to go back to the way that they were before.

This new circumstance in your life can be a new baby, marriage, a new partner, a new job, divorce, unemployment, a death, or nearly any other stressor. Maybe you have a health issue or money problems. Maybe you have to take your SAT exam. Maybe you are a victim of violence, or you have lived through a traumatic event.

You feel angry, anxious, and confused. You start to take this anger out on other people. You are moody around your friends and your family. You isolate yourself because you don't know how to handle your feelings about what has happened to you. You know that you should reach out, but you just can't quite bring yourself to do it.