The truth is, depression is not rooted in tangible reality, it is not logical or objective. How someone appears on the outside doesn’t adequately capture their internal reality and state. Depression is subjective and complex, but it is someone’s reality nonetheless.
People are often fixated with the “why”. They try to understand the reasons behind someones depression, asking questions like “Why do you feel depressed?” and saying things like “A lot of people have it a lot worse!”. The thing is, depression is not rooted in logic. As Stephen Fry aptly put it “There’s no reason. If there were a reason for it, you could reason someone out of it, and you could tell them why they shouldn’t take their own life.”
The way we talk about and treat people can have a significant impact on their well being. Invalidating someones feelings can actually make them feel worse so be kind and empathetic always, even though you may not understand their why.
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