While you may not have had depression, someone close to you, either a loved one or a coworker may suffer from this illness. Yet, most people don’t or can’t get the correct treatment, because of the negativity people tend to throw at those with this mental illness. From telling them to simply, “get over it”, or “stop being depressed; other people have it worse,” is not as simple as that. As quoted from Rick Nauert PhD, in his article Depression’s Chemical Imbalance Explained, “Major depression is a disease that impacts approximately 5% of people globally. For over 30 years, scientists believed that monoamines– mood-related chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine– are low in the brain during major depressive episodes. This is commonly referred to as a “chemical imbalance”. However, no one had ever found a convincing explanation for monoamine loss, until now.”

A person cannot simply “get over” a mental illness, or deny it because of the fact that other people may have lives more difficult than them. It may seem like everyone, including yourself is against you but there are many positive outlets to getting through each day. With the help of [a] therapist, finding a medical plan that works, and safe outlets your days will get brighter. You will be able to get though it with time, and like [as with] any mental illness, there are ways to cope.

Over the years I have experienced my share of bad days. I have depression and to add to that I am the friend that people go to when they are having a bad day. You learn to sit by and deal, putting on a bright face to help keep people from noticing. Sometimes you simply try to help others deal with their problems. Yet, there are other healthy ways of getting through the day. There are therapists and places that will help you find outlets to deal, be it through music, dance, or even painting, all are healthy outlets to keep you away from harmful situation[s]. There are also a lot of support groups and therapists. One of many helpful sites is http://www.dbsalliance.org/. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance or DBSA, offers support groups, peer help and many other very helpful outlets to talk and deal with depression.
The article Living with Depression by Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. explains some of the common misconceptions surrounding depression, which can cause unneeded hardships to those suffering with the illness.

These misconceptions can make the conversations between people with the illness and friends and family much harder on both parties. This causes there to be many misconceptions about depression in our society. Here are some common myths:
Depression isn’t a serious condition. “Many people mistakenly view depression as a “moral failing,”” said Allen J. Dietrich, M.D., co-chair of the MacArthur Foundation Initiative on Depression & Primary Care. His goal is to help primary care physicians diagnose and treat depression. Others also view being depressed as a weakness, said Christopher Martell, Ph.D, depression researcher and clinical psychologist in
Seattle.
Depression isn’t a serious clinical disorder “[Depression is] characterized by a complex integration of biological and environmental vulnerabilities, life events and patterns of thinking and behaving that lead to the clinical presentation,” said Martell. The causes can vary for each person. But whatever the contributing causes for your depression, all practitioners agree that depression requires treatment.
“I should just toughen up and take it.” It’s important to realize that “depression isn’t a natural consequence of living life; it’s an aberration that doesn’t have to be tolerated,” said Steven D. Hollon, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and depression researcher at Vanderbilt University.
“I’ll snap out of it.” Letting depression go untreated in hopes that it’ll go away can actually exacerbate the episode, make it last longer and increase the risk for suicide.
“I’ll be like this forever.” The biggest misconception patients have is that their depressed feelings, fatigue, irritability, inability to concentrate and loss of interest will last forever; that there is no relief in sight, said Rosalind S. Dorlen, Psy.D, ABPP, New Jersey clinical psychologist and New Jersey public education coordinator for the American Psychological Association. Fortunately, however, thanks to effective treatment, patients do find relief and recovery.

I and other students have also found an app, MoodTools- Depression Aid, that helps with depression. It helps when days are bad. MoodTools is designed to help lift your mood if you are feeling sad, anxious, or depressed. It helps combat your depression, your negative moods, and aid you on your road to recovery.

MoodTools was designed in collaboration with multiple mental health professionals. MoodTools is free, contains no advertisements, and is a purely non-profit venture aimed at helping people suffering from clinical depression. Yet, while MoodTools is designed as a self-help mental health application to help people suffering from clinical depression[this repeats same clause in previous sentence], it can also assist people without mental illness, or people suffering from other mental disorders/illnesses such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, dysthymia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or schizophrenia.
I along with a few others have tested this app and found it to be rather helpful and interesting to use, with minimal glitches and easy-to-use lay out. Eight out of ten of us who used this app believe it to be very helpful, and we suggest you try it out.} else {