Depression is something that about 20 million Americans suffer from every year. One in four young adults will suffer from depression before the age of twenty-four.

Depression is serious, but a lot of people choose not to take it seriously. It always angers me to hear or see the comment “just be happy” or “get over it.” That’s not how mental illness works. Depressed people can’t simply be happy and telling them that is only going to make things worse, it’s not going to help in any way. It’s probably going to make them feel like their illness isn’t important.

Something else that I’ve witnessed is people not wanting to hang around those who are “mopey.” This drives me crazy because if someone you know or love has depression, then that’s the time that they need you the most. They’re not being sad to try and be sad or to try and bring you down. They can’t help it and they’re stuck in this terrible place. Ditching someone because they become depressed is selfish in my opinion. In certain circumstances and relationships, sure it can become a bit draining, but you don’t give up on someone with a mental illness.

For those people who do take depression seriously, what is something that you can do to help those you love who have it? One step is to try and get them help. This is a difficult task sometimes because they might not want help and might be nervous or afraid of the idea. They also might not have the resources to get the support they need. However, it helps for them to know that there’s at least one person out there that they can lean on, so be that person for them. Let them know you’re always there if they need to talk. Even if they don’t want to let you in, keep reminding them. If anything, it will probably make them feel less alone and they’ll probably come to you sooner of later. It’s also helpful to invite them out to do things as much as possible. If they’re really depressed, they may not want to go out but keep asking them. Try to think of things they might find fun and hopefully they’ll say yes. This isn’t so you can bring up their depression, it’s so you can hopefully get their mind off of it for even a short period of time. You might be able to get them to have fun for a while and focus their thoughts elsewhere.

For anyone out there who has depression, the best I can do is let you know that there are people there for you. Also that you’re never alone. It may feel like you’re the only one struggling, but there are others out there and there are people that have survived this, so if they can do it then so can you. It can be scary to confide in someone about what’s going on because you’re afraid they’ll judge you, but try to find some help, even if it's just telling a close friend. As hard as it may be, try your hardest to get up and go out if someone invites you to do something. It won’t fix everything, but hopefully you’ll be reminded that there are good times with the bad.

No matter what the case is, everyone needs to take depression and other mental illnesses seriously. You should want to help others, not judge them or put them down.