5 (False) Things People Assume About Depression

Depression is often misunderstood and unless you have lived with this horrible monster, it’s hard to grasp the reality of this unfortunate condition.

Here are five things people often assume about depression.

1. Everyone who has depression is in bed all day. 

Someone you know may be battling depression and you may not even know it. People with depression aren’t always noticeable — they may not be sleeping all day or even seem sad. The truth is, many people can learn to hide their depression quite well and sometimes the happiest people are the ones battling demons within themselves.

2. It’s easy to just be happy. 

“Just be happy!” If I had a dollar for every time I heard this, then I’d be on my way to owning my own private island.
When you battle depression, it’s not as easy as “just being happy.” We would love to be happy — to feel “normal” —but for some reason, we just can’t.

3. Being outside and exercising will “cure” depression.

There’s this meme floating around on the internet about going outside if you are depressed and how it will help your mood. People without depression often assume a quick fix to getting rid of said depression is to just get outside or simply exercise. It’s not that easy. While those things are great for the mind, when I was in my darkest days of depression, the last thing I wanted to do was to move my body or even leave my house. And I wanted to… very badly.

4. People with depression are “crazy.”

If you live with depression or any form of mental illness, you probably know the stigma surrounding it. There’s a big misconception that people with depression are “crazy.” Not true. We can be some of the most normal and well-rounded individuals with successful careers and can be the best parents. We have an illness. We aren’t crazy.

5. People with depression just want attention.

I can assure you this couldn’t be further from the truth. When you battle depression and you are reaching out to someone for help, that is the most vulnerable thing you can do. People with depression don’t seek attention… they seek help. Comfort. A friend.

Before I battled my own depression, I had no idea how misinformed I was about it. I hope I was able to shed some light on things that are often assumed about depression.