In regards to a comment posted: 

When a family member has Depression, it is like any other disease and sickness, it's has an impact and all who are associated with that person. Not all will understand it, but when you are that close to a person who is depressed, you get a reality check! 

Some still won't be able to comprehend it.  The most common reaction or judgment is "They just want attention!"

To a very small degree, and I mean teensy tiny degree, that can be true.  In that case it is usually the person who openly tells others they want to kill themselves or disclose other dark thoughts or tendencies, that usually is the person who is crying out for help.

It would be the person who is silent who you really need to worry about.  This person might have confessed to having suicidal thoughts, but only after a lot of coaxing did they admit to it and probably with a lot of shame.  Even not being able to look you in the eyes while saying so.

Silent but deadly.

The majority of person who do commit suicide will have family and friends who had no idea that they were even sad.

And yes, so many people can go years and even decades of showing no symtoms of Depression at all.  They most likely had no idea either.  Honestly I myself would have a sad thought or what can be called "dark" thoughts, and I would ignore it and see it as though I was just upset for something else.  So I would justify it to the regular problems a teen has.

It wasn't until those "dark" thoughts became a regular way of thinking for me that I realized that I was not normal. I knew something was wrong but had no idea why or what it was that was making me this way.  About two years after I knew I had a problem, TV commercials were just starting to come out about Depression.  Just from those commercials was I able to tell myself:  "See, it's real, I'm not crazy!"  "I feel like what they just described!!!" 

I then diagnosed myself, and because of it I instantly felt better. I could then know that I wasn't some sick insane person! So just knowing that there was a name that could explain why I feeling this way gave me a ray of hope!

Just like any sickness/disease a person suffers, there may or may not be a cure but there are things the sufferer and supporters can do to ease the symptoms and help with prevention.  Similar to a cold, you will get one in your life time but you can help prevent them by regular hand washing, improving immune health, and extra immune boosters when you do have a cold to cut it short.  The concept is the same for those with depression. 

The support of family and friends is vital to the wellbeing of a sufferer.  Kudos to those who do and have done their best to understand Depression in order to help their loved one. You are doing great, don't give up. I know it's hard to deal with so imagine how the sufferer feels!!

You wouldn't abandon or ignore a Cancer sufferer would you, oh no, that would be heartless.......well, Depression is worse than Cancer!!!

(I will tell you why in my next blog!)

Truly Yours

Dr. Nobody