how can i convince my dad that my depression is real and that i am not being lazy, "taking the easy route, pretending, etc.?

i have suffered from depression on and off from at least 2005 (possibly before). i have been on antidepressants since 1999 and anti-anxiety meds & sleeping medication since 2005 (off and on). i moved home about 9 months ago (because of a variety of traumatic experiences) and have been unemployed since. i have been seeing a psychologist and psychiatrist regularly and just recently started to feel better. my dad just freaked out on me and said that i was just pretending and being lazy because i have been social on occasion and more so recently. being social was (and still is a little bit) hard for me but i know it makes me feel better so i have been really pushing myself. my dad is an extremely smart man (an MD- does cancer research) but does not really believe a lot of psychology (calls it a "soft science"). we are at the point where i am not speaking with him, because he said some really awful things to me (that i am not making the world a better place, that i am not making a difference in anyone's lives- including my own, that i have been "playing him and my mom", that i have basically been manipulative and that i am a bad person). this has all caused a lot of drama within my family and i hate it. i have tried talking to him (losing battle- he is always right), sending him literature (doesn't buy it), having others talk to him, etc. i do not know what to do!

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Answers (2)

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Homestucker
Sit down with him and have a conversation with him. Tell him that it's serious, and that you don't think you can deal with it anymore. Tell him you want help.
on August 25, 2013
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rubywolf
Ask him why he doesn't believe you. Also, force him to listen to you without interrupting-don't take no for an answer! Ask your psychologist to talk to him maybe, or ask him/her for a thorough (but not too long) explanation on the science of psychology. Look him in the eye and tell him exactly how you feel about his attitude towards your condition, and how he is making you feel. Tell him how you are pushing yourself to get better, and although you don't wish to be a burden to See More▼
on August 24, 2013
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