Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.

Summary

In this quote, the speaker reveals that their mother has diagnosed them with depression. The speaker's mother likely based this judgment on their isolated behavior, spending long periods in bed, repeatedly reading the same book, minimal eating, and a preoccupation with thoughts of death. These behaviors collectively indicate a lack of interest in usual activities and an apparent despair, leading the mother to conclude that her child is experiencing depression.

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