I spent a week on an inpatient unit several years back. Collete and I traded our stories way back when. We had very different experiences. To shorten one of my longest posts ever (which is saying something!), I had a very positive experience.
I think a very important thing to note is that you have to be very sick to end up in inpatient care these days. If you go to get medical help and you're not in complete crisis, the first step is not going to be to admit you to the hospital.
I know it's scary to go get help, or just to admit that you might need help, but there's just no reason to go on suffering when there is help out there. I don't know your family; I can't help you there. I was scared to tell my family that I thought I needed to see a doctor. This is despite the fact that they have always been extremely supportive and almost every member of my extended family suffers from depression.
I can only hope that your family would be supportive if you told them you wanted to go get more help. The fact of the matter is they probably already know you're depressed. We all think we hide it way better than we do. What they think you should do about it is another matter. We can talk more about that if you'd like.
If you're in school, you can usually get mental health help through your school, without involving your family at all.
If you're at the point where you're in this thread, saying you need help, and you've obviously already said it to yourself, I'd say it's time to go talk to somebody. There's no reason to go on suffering when there are ways to get better.
There are plenty of people to talk to in this thread, including me, if you want to talk via PM or continue posting in the thread.
