Why is it so hard to believe that our loved ones could be suffering from depression? They seem to be perfectly happy or content. Some of them have success, money, fame, power everything so why? We fail to understand that no amount of money or fame can bring you peace. Myths , misunderstandings and stigma continue to be barriers towards awareness on depression and consequences of untreated depression can be life threatening .

We often do not realize the seriousness of depression. Few amongst us mock people who try to open up forgetting how laborious opening up can get. Everyday a new individual struggles to even get out of his bed. Human beings are well known for their suffering-in - silence trait. How has suffering in silence ever helped anybody? We forget that depression isn’t about reel life. A person will be suffering in silence and nobody would ever know.

A person suffering from depression would cut off people and distance himself from the world. He’ll feel like he is living in a “black hole”. A depressed person needs to find a way and open up to the ones he trusts. Bottling up his feelings is going to make the situation worse. If talking to a psychologist can help, it should be done as soon as possible. The least we can do for depressed people is hear them out.

Listening is the greatest act of all times, communication with a suicidal person can help him reconsider his thoughts about suicide. We need to empathize and avoid saying “you will get over it” or “snap out of it”. People shouldn’t be treated in such a harsh way that they are driven into these thoughts. We need to be kinder to every individual around us. We need to remind them how loved and appreciated they are on a regular basis because we never know how rough their life is.

We need to encourage them to go to psychologists instead of saying “society is going to ridicule and taunt you” or “they are going to call you a psychopath” or “He has everything probably he wants attention” . We need to learn how to judge less and help more. Depression is real, complex and a serious condition. It is a global public health concern and we must make it our personal responsibility to fight against it. It is high time to educate ourselves about depression and support those suffering from it.