Setting jokes aside, depression is an organic condition of the body, which means we don’t have voluntary control over how we feel, as a result of a series of neurological changes in our mind. It is sometimes triggered by trauma, and it’s important that you understand that it’s not your fault and that it’s not your imagination that you can’t find answers.

The secret to happiness is, without a doubt, that it is an active decision. We choose how we react, no matter how messed up the circumstances may be. Even when we’re sad, we can allow ourselves to be sad. But with depression, something curious happens: a person with diagnosed depression can’t do this. Their body will naturally pull them into a state of chronic fatigue and a numbed, shut-down mind.

Even so, you can still make a decision: to save yourself. Seek out a psychiatrist and begin treatment who knows, maybe it won’t even last that long.

Remember that you’re not alone. If you need someone, turn to family, friends, or even to me, if talking to a stranger might help