10 Things Nobody Tells You About Depression
Being depressed is so much more than being sad all the time.
11th August 2014, news broke that Robin Williams passed away, a beloved actor who resonated in the memories of so many who grew up watching his stand-up or his films such as Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire and Aladdin. In the later hours after his passing and the media swarm that followed, we found out that Robin took his own life after a long struggle with his mental illness something hed been open about in the past. No one ever said depression killed him. Depression is a misunderstood illness, nowadays if someone says theyre depressed most jump to the conclusion theyre just a little bit down, in a spot of bad luck or theyre just being emo. We all go through periods when we feel down and most will find a way to brighten their mood, but when youre depressed you consistently and persistently feel down for weeks, months and in some unfortunate cases years. A good portion of people still feel that depression is inconsequential and all it takes is for someone to snap out of it and try harder. They couldnt be more wrong; depression is a real and very serious illness that the World Heath Council stated affects one in ten of us in some form, with the latest figures showing more than a fifth of Britons go through a stage of depression in their lives; more shocking is two thirds of those depressed go untreated in the UK. It does make you wonder why so little is known and why people are so unprepared? Hopefully, this article can dispel some of the misconceptions of depression.