People With Depression Are Sharing Videos Of What It Can Look Like To Outsiders & It Is Not What Most Would Expect
Check in on all of your friends, even the ones with the biggest smiles.
@delina_gray / @thecaimancrew / @kcosmeticsuk / TikTok One evening as they were hanging out, one woman recorded what she thought would be a sweet video capturing her friend’s personality. She was smiling, dancing, laughing, and appeared to be enjoying the company of her friends. Any outsider would believe that the woman was one of the happiest people in the world.
12 hours after her friend recorded the video, the woman took her own life.
People may ask themselves how someone who looked to be having the time of their life wanted to leave it, and even more so, how did no one around her notice the signs that she was depressed?
The video prompted others struggling with depression to show what depression can look like.
The woman is just one of many silently battling depression while displaying a smiling face around their family and peers. Her death was one that unfortunately no one could have predicted.
Depression is not limited to crying and hiding your face from the rest of the world. It can appear as laughing, smiling, and having fun with your friends.
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the U.S., affecting more than 21 million adults nationwide. However, only half of them will go on to receive treatment. Instead, some of them attempt to carry on with life as if their world does not feel as if it is crashing down on them.
TikTok users who suffer from depression took to the platform to share various depictions of how the condition can present itself and how easy it can be for others to perceive them as perfectly happy.
Despite contrary belief, those with depression are not always crying or silent in a group of people.
They can be out laughing while celebrating a birthday, having fun with their friends at a bar, constantly cracking jokes, and dancing as if they have no worries in the world.
“That’s the thing about depression. It doesn’t care if it’s your birthday if you’re a mother, how often you surround yourself with loved ones, or how big your smile is,” Kiera Cheyenne, a woman suffering from depression shared on TikTok along with various video clips of her laughing and smiling with friends and family.
“You truly never know what someone is going through, so be kind. You are so loved,” she adds.
Other users who did not post their own videos revealed their own similar experiences with depression in the comments.
“That’s how I am and deep down inside I’m drowning in my own sorrow,” one user shared.
“I looked so pretty in all my old photos but my eyes were dead and no one could tell because I had a pretty smile,” another user wrote.
Many of us may ask why those with depression hide their silent battles from the rest of the world, including their loved ones, and why they refrain from reaching out for help.
Although everyone’s explanation may differ, in modern society where education, working, and independence are often prioritized over our mental health, there also comes the negative stigma surrounding depression.
People with depression may fear being perceived as weak or incompetent, being unfairly judged, and a general feeling of helplessness and despair. They also may believe that their depression is a burden on those around them and an issue that they, and only they can handle on their own without the help of anyone.
Other people may have difficulties opening up and explaining to others what they are feeling, as depression can be a variety of emotions that even those who have it may have trouble understanding and describing.
Unfortunately for some people, like the woman who was happily dancing in front of her friends, the condition will consume them to the point where they feel as if they have no way out as long as they are living in the physical world. Even if they truly do not want to die, they want their pain to stop.
It is important to check in on your 'happy' friends who may not appear to be depressed.
Although your loved ones may appear to be happy and fulfilled on the outside, this does not mean that you should not check in on them. Even if they may never utter a word about their feelings, it is still important to remind them that you are here to listen to them. Whether it’s a shoulder to cry on or a helping hand, extending support to those who are silently struggling will mean more to them than you may ever know.
The reality is depression is not presented as the sadness and tears we may all believe it to be. It can be lurking underneath a mask of smiles, laughs, and exhilaration.
There is no shame in opening up about our true feelings, even if they may not be a pretty picture. Your loved ones would much rather hear your story than attend your funeral.
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988 where crisis counselors are on call 24/7.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.