It's not visable to those who don't have it

People need to understand that DEPRESSION isn't just a matter of being sad. It's a condition, and a real illness. ~ Ashley Judd

People tell me over and over the hardest thing about depression is the lack of understanding from others. Depression is not something visible at least for the average person who has not been affected by the illness or else without an awareness of the signs and symptoms of the condition. That said if I can describe it to you in the simplest way picture someone with a gushing open wound that requires immediate medical attention.

Why do we stigmatize people with mental illness? We don't stigmatize people with heart disease or cancer. We don't tell someone who is having an Asthma attack to "snap out of it"! When it comes to depression people have many misconceptions. People associate mental illness with laziness or some type of character flaw or socioeconomic class.

I have seen people from all walks of life. Mental illness does not discriminate nor is it a respecter of persons. One in five people experience mental illness every year worldwide. This could happen to anyone. In this day and age stigma really is ignorance. Stigma adds to the burden of an already exhausted and beaten down person.

It is hard enough to battle depression or bipolar or schizophrenia, but having to deal with a layer of isolation is not acceptable.

The disease element of depression needs to be understood. People who suffer from depression deserve the same type of compassion that would be given to any person suffering from a debilitating illness.