FIRST PERSON DESCRIPTION OF MAJOR DEPRESSION…

What does depression mean to you? We are not talking about medical terms, just your experiences.

Read some first hand accounts of how people have experienced and managed their own depression.

Does this sound like you? 

"I've been feeling so low for weeks that I just can't seem to do anything....It's hard for me to get out of bed even though I wake up early every morning...I just lie there feeling everything is pointless...I don't feel like eating... I can't concentrate on anything...I just want this to end...I don't care how." 

"It takes the greatest effort to get out of bed in the morning. I am tired all day, yet when night comes, sleep evades me. I stare at the ceiling, wondering what has happened to my life, and what will become of me. Nothing is getting done at work. I have projects to complete, but I can't think. I try to focus on my work, and I get lost. I keep wondering when the boss will discover how little I have accomplished. My wife does not understand. She keeps telling me to "snap out of it." I'm irritable all the time, and yell at the kids, then I feel terrible later. Nothing is fun any more. I can't read, and the music I used to enjoy so much does nothing for me. I am bored, but I feel like doing nothing. There are times, when I'm alone, that I think that life is hopeless and meaningless, and I can't go on much longer."