I'm an adult-in-training. It comes with the college territory, learning to get your own meals, starting to learn to budget, and to travel on your own. And that also means beginning to fill out medical forms on my many trips to various doctors when I get home from school. This is a long-winded way of saying that one of the things I now need to know is my family's medical history, and, for my particular family, depression is a common theme. Though a lot of the stigma associated with mental illness has gradually dissolved over time, there seems to still be a lot of misunderstanding about depression and illnesses like it. So I wanted to give a quick rundown of the facts and experience of depression.

Depression is an unfortunate reality for many people. Major depressive disorder, for example, affects approximately 14.8 million Americans, according to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). And anxiety disorders in general are the most common illness in the United States, affecting 40 million adults, otherwise known as 18% of the population, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). Yes, anxiety and depression are so prevalent that there are even two different organizations that list these mental illness statistics on their websites.

So why are there so many people suffering from depression? Well, it is at least partially hereditary. That's why I have to list it on every medical form. According to the Stanford School of Medicine, in most cases of depression, about 50% of the cause is genetic, and the other 50% is due to psychological or physical factors. Non-genetic risk factors can include forms of abuse, neglect, or stress, but there are many risk factors that are probably not yet known. Those with a history of depression have a 2 to 3 times greater risk of developing the illness than an average person.

For anyone who hasn't experienced depression (also known as major depressive disorder) before, its clinical definition is a mood disorder that causes persistent sadness, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Merriam Webster, on the other hand, defines it as "a state of feeling sad." (Actually, its first definition is "the angular distance of a celestial object below the horizon," but that hardly seems relevant.) I think these definitions might be where misunderstandings come in, though. For people who have never had depression, I think Merriam Webster's definition of a state of sadness is probably confusing. If you're sad, we should just do something to cheer you up, some people think. Just get out of bed! But depression is a documented illness - you can't fix it with a plucky can-do attitude, unfortunately. I have been lucky enough to experience it only a few times, and intermittently, but for me, it's a feeling of horrible, sad, confusion. I couldn't get up, it would take too much energy. Even watching T.V. wouldn't cheer me up, and I am one of the biggest T.V.-watchers I know. It feels like lying in bed would be the best thing you could possibly do, because it's painful, but everything else would be so much more painful because it would take more energy. It's like an overwhelming feeling that crushes you, pinning you to the sheets. It's hard to describe, but basically all your energy is drained, you don't see the point or hope in anything you do. For me it often lasts only a few hours or days, but for others who experience depression indefinitely, there is medication and a variety of resources (the website Everyday Health has a list of websites for counseling numbers, financial assistance, and anything else a depressed person might need access to: http://www.everydayhealth.com/depression/guide/res....

For anyone who has a family history like mine, or has experienced depression in their lives, there is clearly hope. And, fortunately, understanding is growing. There is strength in numbers. No one with depression is alone.