After a long childhood of abuse and turbulence I too found myself very confused and depressed. This led to chronic substance abuse and eventually hard drug addiction. Up until about 6 months when I was almost homeless I constantly ran away from my problems through escapism in drugs and alcohol. After alienating much of my family and losing all integrity I found myself hopeless. Having little or no money for professional care and no desire to use prescription medication I sought a natural solution. Through meditation, diet, and exercise I have completely changed the direction of my life. Life is not your past or future. Its not the anxiety of your actions or expectations. True happiness in life is the ability to be happy with everything you have right here and now. What really spoke to me was:
If i cant control what im thinking. i cant stop thinking about drug abuse or murder... is suicide justified?
This is really the core of depression. The obsessive way it can consume your thoughts and distract you from reality. I found personally that through keeping myself busy and keeping myself as healthy and active as possible I boosted my endorphins and eliminated a lot of that depression. The key is create habits contrary to the negative obsessive behavior. Idle hands are the devils playthings. Not only can this help alleviate and distract you from depression it can make you a more productive human being. Life is everything you do every second. By creating good and rewarding habits you can really maximize your potential. Additionally meditation is very rewarding and can lead to great self awareness and better focus and mental control. Simple breathing and stretching exercises can distract you from depressive thoughts and bring you back to reality. In addition I also experimented mildly with psychedelics and marijuana but that was solely and a personal choice and not at all necessary for personal development. I know the hardest thing when you feel that way is to see a silver lining. But the truth is suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. The best of luck.