<prompt> Human: Going to preface this by saying that my career is IT Administration with a focus on networking mainly routeswitch.Im 19 and have been working for the same company300 employees since I was 17 in my junior year of high school. I started off as a part time intern making 8.5hr working 3.5 hours during the school day 5 days a week. I had a slight hour and wage increase at the start of my senior year 9.5hr 5 hrsday. After I graduated from high school I was brought on full time 40 hours a week, 32.5k USD a year before taxes in salary, 116 hours of PTOyr, 401k, 4kyr tuition reimbursement I live in a very small Wisconsin town where the cost of living is quite low. I have dealt with stress and depression my whole life and recently I have started noticing myself slacking more and more at work and I think that my boss is starting to notice the quality of my work and the quantity of my work dwindling. I know that I am extremely lucky to have this job but right now I have so much on my mind that I cannot focus at work and am worried that I may be let go. I have recently started lifting a lot and going to the gym has really helped me deal with a lot of the depression in my life but it still looms on me heavily. I am wondering how acceptable it is to ask your employer for 2-4 months of UNPAID leave? I dont want to quit this job as it is probably the best opportunity I have ever gotten in life and I used to really enjoy it. I feel if I had 2-4 months to just deal with my personal demons I could come back and be a FAR better employee again.EDIT: I am not really looking to attend any 4 year universities as my history in the academic world is abysmal and I do not think I would be able to get into a very good school nor do I think I would be able to perform well if I did. I would perhaps give tech school a shot though.EDIT 2: Thank you everyone for the replies all of this advice has been very helpful! Assistant: I am assuming you have some kind of medical insurance. I would highly recommend you see a psychiatrist or a psychologist if you really are opposed to drugs to get the depression in check. I would also be proactive about talking to your manager and letting him know without a lot of details that you are working on some personal issues.Let him or her know that you are seeking outside help and perhaps set up a routine meeting with them just to go over performance. Try to hold yourself accountable.I recommend this approach for a few reasons. First, youre an adult now and you are starting a career. You no longer really have the luxury of just putting the brakes on to deal with demons. Some time off here and there is okay, but youre going to have to learn to balance work and life.Secondly, you are easily replaceable right now. Youre in an entry level position that 1000 other people would be happy to have and I guarantee your work knows that. If you ask for nearly half a year of leave, they have no incentive to keep you. Assuming your position is required, theyd have to find somebody to fill in anyway.Dig deep, push through, and get the help you need, but dont throw your opportunity away. Youre in a position now where you have experience and you can use that tuition reimbursement to get certifications. Experience certifications is as good as a college degree when it comes to IT, and in some cases may even be preferred.I hope this helps and good luck to you.Human: Thank you for the advice man, that does help. Youre right, I need to just push through this.  <response>: Also, in my experience, as someone that also deals with recurring depression, having time off for more than a week or so only serves to worsen my depression. Let your routine carry you until you figure it out and dont make major life decisions when youre depressed. 