Roughly 10 percent of Americans live with depression at some point in their lives, but the illness still faces a stigma. Negative stereotypes and a lack of understanding about depression can discourage people from talking about their mental health and from seeking treatment.
To help open up a conversation, we asked our readers living with depression to share one thing they wish others understood about it.
Here’s what we learned.
1. “Depression is just as real an illness as diabetes or heart disease. It must be treated with due care, because one of the serious side effects is suicide.” — Elizabeth Rose
2. “It’s not only my mood that’s ‘depressed.’ Energy levels, motivation, feeling of self-worth and self-restraint are all affected as well. It doesn’t mean I’m lying in bed crying all day, especially as a mom of two young kids. I’m doing my best to be as functional as possible. Instead of ‘sad,’ I may seem irritable or short-tempered, for which I probably feel guilty as hell.” — Katherine Intven Tyndall
3. “My point of view, while colored by a lifetime of depression, is just as valid as those of cheerful people.” — Beebop Beebopareebop
4. “Being depressed is much different than being sad.” — Laura Sloate
5. “One just can’t ‘snap out of it.’” — Tommy Sorg
6. “It’s the same as a broken leg. No amount of happy thoughts and being positive will sort it out.” — Julia Ann Kerr
7. “Oftentimes I recognize that what I’m feeling is irrational or ‘silly,’ but I can’t just make the feeling go away.” — Mary Salemi
8. “It’s real, and it does exist. It doesn’t just walk away.” — Tisha Speckman-Lane
9. “It’s not a constant. Some days and weeks are bad. Others are just fine.” — Nancy Halpern Lesser
10. “Sometimes people need to take antidepressants for the rest of their lives. And that’s OK!” — Stacy Benstock Klein
11. “Despite knowing others live with depression and anxiety, you feel alone.” — Melissa Marcasciano McKeown
12. “Simple tasks are so much harder when you live with depression. Cleaning the house, running to the store or even holding up a conversation can be a mission for us. As adults, we’re expected to suck it up and go to college, go to work and make something of ourselves. It’s difficult when you can’t even get yourself out of bed most days. I’m not lazy; I’m sick.” — Michayla Nicole Rasmussen
13. “You cannot cure someone’s depression by making them feel guilty about it.” — Chelsea Noelani Gober
14. “Crying is strength, not weakness.” — Christie Marie
