So hard seeing your child struggle with friendships looking for tips

[Macska]

Hi all
I am new to this forum. I have a gorgeous 17 year old daughter with depression. Her depression has been beginning to shift over last few months. She has a learning disability and since primary school has had to deal with constant bullying at school..She is kind and has had to deal with so much rejection. She does have a few friends but not a friend you can always count on. Today some one she think of as a friend had their 18th birthday and she was not invited .Lots of people she knows were invited including a person she would call a friend.
she watched people she knew snapchatting the event. It was another blow after a long series of blows of trying to make friends and just do something that is fun. Because of her depression she was not going out very often and all of last year COVID stopped friendship making. Just wanting to support her on the tough journey of making friends and being accepted for who she is. It is so hard my heart breaks . As a parent I just want to make things better but my ability to fix this is limited. Suggestions and words of support welcome. I know so many other parents are in the same boat.

[Hannah_RO]

Hi @Macska, welcome and thank you for reaching out to the forums to tell us what is going on for your daughter. I am sorry to hear that your daughter has been having a hard time with bullying and friendships. It sounds like a lot for your daughter to be going through, and a lot for you as a parent as well. I can see how much you love her and how heartbreaking it would be for you to see her going through these things. 

It is never a nice feeling to be sent snapchats of an event that you were not included in, I imagine that this could make a young person feel really hurt and isolated. How did your daughter respond to receiving those snapchats? 

I can definitely understand how the pandemic would have been an especially tough time for a young person experiencing depression and troubles with friendships. Was there anything that your daughter enjoyed during this time that you noticed lifted her mood at all? 

I was wondering if your daughter has ever spoken to a professional about her depression, such as a psychologist or counsellor? If she isn't seeing anyone at the moment, do you think that it might be something you and your daughter would be open to explore? A few possible starting places could be a GP, school counsellor, Kids Helpline, eHeadspace or the ReachOut's youth forums. 

ReachOut also has some articles for parents on tips for supporting your teenager with depression here, and Raising Children Network also has some helpful information here, in case you'd be interested in having a read through.

I wanted to also point out that it is really nice to see what a caring parent your daughter has to support her through what she is going through. What an amazing strength for a young person having a hard time