Why should depression be taken seriously?

                Thank you for your question, reader. Depression is a biological mood disorder that should be taken seriously for many reasons, a few of which I will discuss here. Firstly, it feels awful to experience depression and letting it go untreated likely extends the length of time that people will suffer. Intervening sooner will help people to recover their quality of life faster, and that is important. According to the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH), statistics show that about 7% of adults experience an episode of depression at some time in life. With so many people impacted by depression, treating depression seriously has the impact of helping many people (about 17 million in the U.S. alone) live better lives.  

                Additionally, people diagnosed with depression experience significant difficulties keeping up with the activities of their daily lives. The challenges of coping with the symptoms of depression can make it hard for people to attend or keep up with work responsibilities, succeed at school, or participate fully in relationships and other meaningful activities. There is a real loss of purpose associated with depression for these reasons, as well as potential long-term consequences, such as financial hardship or divorce that could occur. Taking depression seriously allows people to address their illness and recover faster to assume their roles and responsibilities again.

                Lastly, depression has the potential to worsen in severity the longer it goes untreated. People with severe depression can experience recurring thoughts of death or self-harm, and they may feel so hopeless that they develop a suicide plan. When given an opportunity, people recover from depression, so intervention is important to keep people safe until their mood improves.

                Some things discussed here can trigger intense emotions or negative thoughts. If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, it is important to seek help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number is 1-800-273-8255. The purpose of calling this hotline is to help you get connected to resources and develop and implement a safety plan. Even if you are not having thoughts of death or suicide, depression can be debilitating, and getting help is important. You deserve to recover as quickly as possible.