Society believes that depression is a weakness, vulnerability, or a deficit in one’s character and not an Illness. There are many distinct reasons why society stigmatizes depression, however these are the most common reasons. 

We find it crucial when one claims that they are not mentally okay, yet we see them smile, laugh, and there are no physical injuries. Mental illness does not give an easy visual for not feeling well. Because of this people assume you are faking depression instead of helping you treat it like any other illness. 

Is depression real? Do you know what you need to do to treat depression? What can be the outcomes of those treatments? This lack of awareness can lead society to be ignorant to those who suffer from mental illness unless we take initiative to educate ourselves.  

When media creates a negative picture of depression, it can also affect people’s perspective of those who struggle from depression which could lead to people to avoid and discriminate depression. Depression is an extremely sensitive topic, and it is subjective furthermore is different for everyone because we do not have the same experiences about mental illness. Fighting the stigma surrounding depression is a journey in which we all must take an active role.  

We come from diverse backgrounds, and we face different circumstances, some people who like being alone, who do not like sharing or letting the next person know about their emotions find it hard to speak on depression. We also get people who have ugly thoughts like suicide or feel like they have no purpose on this earth also find it difficult to speak about depression. Acceptance, however, is the first step in understanding depression and knowing how to help.