Let’s get one thing straight, ok? Depression means so much more than just "being sad". I honestly can’t stand it when people equate depression with sadness or “being bummed out”.

Sorry, I had to. But it’s seriously true, though. So often, I hear other people pass depression off as a choice, a result of personal laziness. The reverse could not be more true—and to be perfectly honest, it’s downright insulting to think that someone would actually choose to experience depression. I won’t even get started on the trouble I see with a person trying to lecture someone else on something they have no experience with or have never dealt with themselves.

Maybe this will help to explain what I mean. Every medication has two types of effects—those that it’s meant to have, and then the side effects. Take the medication, and there is a very likely chance that you will experience the side effects in addition to the intended effects.

The same is true with depression. Yes, depression can make you feel sad and fatigued. Those are the near-guaranteed effects. But there are so many other side effects that come with grappling with depression. I’ve seen others mention these before online, but I think they’re worth repeating. So yeah, sadness is depression. Tiredness is depression. You know what else is depression?

Not showering for over a week.

Knowing you have dishes to clean, exams to study for, people to talk to, but having no motivation to do any of it.

Constantly feeling exhausted.

Being unable to concentrate on anything.

Forgetting the most basic or recent things.

Never getting out of bed.

Not being able to fall asleep.

Loathing yourself the entire time for being like this.

Seeing that your depression is affecting and hurting the people you love and hating yourself even more for hurting them like this, but being unable to stop.

Thinking that the only way to put an end to all of it is to end yourself.

Now, just like medication, not all of these are true for everyone who experiences depression. Not everyone will deal with all these effects. But some do. And this is so far from being a comprehensive list. These are just the things that I could think of and that I’ve heard other people mention. I don’t know if I’m trying to fix anything here. Honestly, I’m just trying to make a statement. Please, don’t marginalize or trivialize depression. Don’t just brush it off as something that can be gotten over easily. It is complex, subtle, and silently destructive. If someone you know struggles with it, help them and be patient. Above all, be patient.