The Pros And Cons Of Depression

When you hear the word depression most think of feeling down or sad, but usually you don’t think of it as a mental illness or disease. In today’s society we hide depression from others because we feel it is not acceptable to be sad, or to let others know that we have faults. Depression is a darkness that can overwhelm you, it can take your happiness away and replaces it with negative thoughts. Many people use depression to attract attention, which gives depression a bad reputation. Depression is not just a sad feeling or an attention seeker like society thinks, it is a serious mental illness that is common in many Americans, makes it difficult to live in a normal way, can be life threatening, and with the proper help is treatable.
First, depression is a mental illness that makes living a normal life hard. When facing this serious medical condition, you can feel anxious, incredibly sad, or even have an “empty” or “numb” feeling (“Merriam-Webster”). These feelings cause you to not want to do things you normally would find joy in. Your

A serious case can lead to thoughts of suicide or self-harm. We think that we can handle depression ourselves so we don’t reach out for medical help. We are afraid that we will be labeled negatively if we share our mental illness with classmates, friends, and family. When depression finally becomes too much for us to handle we think “death is the only way out.” Many do believe that and end up killing themselves (Griffin 2). Depression is powerful and makes the idea of suicide a valid solution. Depressed can make you see death as a bridge to God or a cure for the pain we are going through. Depression has a way of destroying you, it makes you think you’re worthless and you start putting yourself down. It is not normal to think of taking your own life. Our bodies are made to survive and fight to live, but when our emotions become so damaged we are desperate for it to