You don't have to physically be in water to feel like you're drowning. Mental disorders are the crashing waves of the brain. It's not just a feeling. It's 2016, people. Depression is a condition that has been known since practically the beginning of time and people today still don't have any understanding of what it actually is. People throw around the word depressed like it's nothing, but it's a serious medical condition and more than just a mood. Would you cook your pizza if you're missing the tomato sauce? Without that one ingredient, you could cook the pizza but it wouldn't be the same pizza which is what it is like to be depressed. It is also not something that just happens, some people are just born that way, like some people have green eyes and some have brown eyes. We are all wired differently and that's just a fact people need to accept. Here are some basic things about depression people need to fully understand.

Not all depressed individuals look like this.

They look like this.

Mental disorders affect everyone and everything. They don't discriminate, don't only effect the old or young, and can even display effects on animals. Swans are one of the many types of animals that mate for life, and can actually die from sadness without their partner. The fact is that depression and mental disorders affect everyone. The rich and the poor, the strong and the weak.

Mental disorders can be just as serious as and even the same as physical ones. Breaking your leg is a long and tedious healing process, just like in the brain. Therapy and medication is the band-aid to the brain. Like anything, you have to be willing to heal your wounds. A pill won't magically fix all your problems, but it can definitely help. After going to counseling for several months, my therapist and I decided medication was the best bet for me. Medication is definitely not required for overcoming mental illness but it can help. Like the pizza analogy I made, pepperoni is not needed but compliments the meal.

It happens at birth, and over time, suddenly, and not even at all. For me, it just seemed to hit like a semi truck. I was struggling emotionally with family problems and one day I lost the will to get out of bed. I let my problems consume me and let my bed be my only support system. I wasn't tired like when you stay up late and am too tired to physically get up, but like I had no reason to get up. Nothing seemed better than just laying in bed and never doing anything in life. It's like having ball and chains attached to your ankles, during all hours of the day. But the hardest part of all is trying to hide it. From not just your friends, but your family and your teachers and classmates. There is nothing more annoying when you're in a bad mood than having people asking constantly if you're okay. Depression is a constant bad mood, and even when you start to feel happy, it bites you right back in the butt. It's a dark cloud hovering your head, a constant reminder that you hate life.

As everyone always says, the first thing to fixing a problem is realizing you have a problem. At the point I realized I had a problem, I had already pushed away most of my friends and I tried to cope with it myself and I was embarrassed to tell my family. Most people have someone to lean on, but in my case I let that person be my cat. He was a small and scrawny, gray and white cat who was my best friend. He walked with me to the bus stop and even waited for me to get off after school. He cuddled with me when I cried and gave me the satisfaction no other person could. He couldn't ask if I was okay all the time or annoy me and gave me the attention I needed when I wanted it. I guess that's why people classified as introverts love cats so much, is because they are so laid back and lovable. It makes cats the perfect best friend. Always make sure when you're struggling to find someone or even something that gives you the satisfaction to make you a happier person. Love is the ultimate medication.

Mental illness is the difference between drowning and swimming. You can let yourself fall or rise above. You have to know your own ability to cope with things, and when you can't you have to rely on others for help. It's okay to do things alone, but not everyone is capable of that. It is our job as human beings on earth to love and care for one another, so do your part. Don't say:

"Suck it up."

"Just stop being sad."

It is literally the biggest slap in the face. Humans aren't built to just magically flip a switch and feel a certain way. Like how depressed feelings accumulate over time, it takes just as long to handle them and diminish them.

Mental illness is like an ocean of water. The waves are big and small, choppy and smooth. You can let yourself sink or swim.