11 year old, early signs of depression?

[Rhia1234]

Hey,
[Trigger warning/ discussion of self harm, depression etc]
So basically I have younger sister (I'm 25, shes 11, I'm not a mum but don't know where else to turn). She has been diagnosed with ADD and is currently in the process of being diagnosed with aspergers but hasn't been confirmed.
She isnt the best with other children, shes so friendly but other kids dont really understand her. She always mentions how she doesnt have any friends and it's so heartbreaking.
I literally just found a piece of paper she's wrote on saying
"I feel sad and lonely. Everybody I know hates me. I feel lost and sad and lonely. Everybody I know doesnt like me. I do not know what to do. I need a hug and a (cant make out the next 3 words)".
I dont know if this is just what all kids say at that age. When I was a preteen thats when signs of my own depression started to form (which later lead on to self harming in teenage years etc).
I'm wondering if this is normal 11 year old behaviour?
If it is I will honestly be relieved.
I dont want to over react, but because of my own experiences it really just breaks my heart. Shes about to go to high school next year, and I'm afraid that if her self esteem is this low already high school will just completely destroy it.

Thanks. Sorry it's long to read.

I would say this is concerning, definitely. I don't know where the line between "normal response to social isolation" and depression is, but if she doesn't have any friends she will more likely than not be pretty unhappy.

Is she getting any therapy/intervention for the ADD and ASD? Is the school providing any additional support? Is she involved in any structured extracurriculars? I'd look into getting her therapy ASAP before starting secondary - knowing you're not like the other kids and being unable to fit in can be devistating for preteens.

The school has given her extra help with some subjects, but over all we are cautious about isolating her even more by getting her all this extra help. We dont want her to feel different.
And the sad thing is she does so many extra curricular activities and clubs. She loves going to them, and we obviously encourage them for social reasons

...isolating her by getting her help!? How could helping her isolate her?

More to do with she feels different. During the peak of her having loads of different appointments to do with first talks of ADD and ASD, we really noticed a change in her. As much as we would try and say that there was nothing "wrong" with her etc you could tell as though she felt like there was. I dont want her to feel like she's the "different" one, and then blame herself for the whole situation (kids not really understanding her sometimes). Maybe when she's a bit older and has more of a grasp on it then 100% I feel like therapy is a considerable option.
Also baring in mind she has ADD, I feel like therapy in general would just stress her out. Surely even a nice day out would be more stress relieving than a therapy session where she feels pressured infront of strangers to discuss her feelings?

It's not about discussing her feelings, its about seeing a specialist who can give her strategies and help her develop the skills she needs to feel less different and less isolated.

You're taking a very short term view here and frankly it's not going to do your sister any favours. The situation will get worse, not better, unless she's given the right kind of help.

She is different. Pretending that she's not, or telling her that she's not, won't help her at all.