We know about major depressive disorder and other depressive disorders. Despite the symptoms making you feel like you are alone, it is one of the most common mental disorders around the world.
An estimated 5.2% of adults worldwide have a depressive disorder, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), 21 million Americans, or 8.6% of the adult population in the United States, had at least one major depressive episode in 2021 And the DBSA also reports that bipolar disorder (which was formerly called manic depression, since it often involves episodes of depression and hypomania or mania) affects 5.7 million Americans, or about 2.6 of adults in the United States.
However, despite these facts, depression often isolates you and makes you feel like you are alone. This could not be further from the truth, but depression is an insidious illness that can convince you otherwise.
As someone who’s lived with depression since high school, I’ve often written down my feelings on paper to help me process them. I wrote a poem about depression that I think many can relate to.
It Must Hurt
It must hurt to look in the mirror.
You see dark bags under eyes,
eyebrows that turn downward,
a terribly hunched posture.
It must hurt to wake up,
to drag yourself from bed,
body made of stone,
every step too heavy.
It must hurt to smile,
to curve your lips upward
eyes still downward,
cheeks sunken in.
It must hurt to say “I’m fine.”
you tell yourself and others,
but your eyes fill with liquid,
and a knife stabs your chest.
It must hurt to cry,
to feel your whole body shake,
your ribcage squeeze your chest
unable to breathe.
It must hurt to stay alive,
to keep going everyday,
to take it one more day
every single day.
It must hurt, I know,
Because I hurt, too
Everyone says this, but it’s true: you’re not alone.
Depression sucks, and you’re not the only one who’s experienced it. If you can, I encourage you to seek help — even if it’s just talking to someone who will listen and support you.
If you have depression and are feeling low right now, I hope you can give yourself some grace. Life is hard and you’re doing the best you can. Take it one step at a time. That’s all you can do.
