How to Explain What Depression is Like

Major depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in the United States, experienced by 8.3% of all adults. It’s also one of the most commonly misunderstood mental health challenges a person can face. It’s all too common for sufferers of clinical depression to be faced with well-meaning exhortations to “cheer up” or unhelpful advice like “just try harder!” or “snap out of it!” They may face disbelief from others about the nature and severity of what they’re experiencing, or even outright dismissal of their feelings. These kinds of misunderstandings make it important for us to have the language for describing the depression experience, getting across what it’s really like and reducing shame and stigma around the issue.

Using Descriptive Language to Communicate Depression Feelings

Communicating depression feelings can be an important tool, not just for giving other people an understanding of the struggle but also for self-reflection. Exploring and expressing your own experiences and working out how to explain what depression feels like is an important part of the journey toward better mental health. A specific exercise called expressive writing can be a helpful therapeutic tool in this vein. This is a starting point — writing when you can, for your own eyes only, without worrying about grammar or spelling. It’s a way of putting into words for yourself how your depression manifests, how it affects you and how you’re trying to cope with it. One common tool of expressive writing is assigning a description to your depression:

• Does it have a shape, like a black dog or a cloud?
• Does it have a size or a smell?
• Does it “speak,” and if so, what does it tell you?

You can also write down words you need to hear, identify things you wish other people knew about depression and name the feelings it evokes in you. Once you’ve worked through these things for yourself, you may find it easier to clarify the experience for others.

Expressing the Emotional Landscape of Depression

The emotional landscape of depression varies depending on who’s suffering from it, but there are a lot of common symptoms that might be shared between experiences. Exploring what depression feels like for you can help you spot these commonalities in others and feel less isolated. Some of these common features of the depression landscape might include:

• Overwhelming negative emotions and/or seeming numbness to positive emotions
• Feelings of aching, heaviness and lethargy
• Feelings of detachment from the world, yourself or both
• Loss of hope or sense of purpose
• Mismatch between your past and present selves
• Feelings of being trapped or imprisoned
• Intrusive thoughts
• Inability to picture a future and/or a sense of stagnation in the present
• Inability to take pleasure in things you once enjoyed
• Feelings of loneliness or estrangement

These and other symptoms can come together to create an obstacle to communicating with people around you. The more you’re able to identify and express these feelings, however, the more possible you may find the act of reaching out for help. This doesn’t have to be with someone you know directly. It may be easier to start with compassionate counselors though a resource like the Mental Health Hotline.

Personal Accounts: What Depression Is Like From Different Perspectives

Recent years have seen a rise in personal accounts of depression that provided windows on the various forms this disorder can take. These accounts have not only contributed to public understanding but also provided perspective and a sense of connection and recognition for fellow sufferers of depression. Some of the most influential accounts include:

• A virtual depression experience from GeneSight that simulates how it feels (and also a famous free online predecessor called Depression Quest)
• Matthew Johnstone’s Living With a Black Dog: His Name is Depression (which was adapted for an animated short by the World Health Organization)
• Allie Brosh’s comic Hyperbole and a Half (from which the Adventures in Depression strips are still free to read online)

The graphic medium of comics has been an especially fruitful source of personal accounts, as has fiction inspired by an author’s struggle with depression. There are plenty of examples available online in a rich variety of ways and forms that creators have used to bring their experience to life.

Seeking Help Can Make All the Difference

If you or someone you love is suffering from major depression, describing the depression experience can be a first step toward better mental health. Visit Mental Health Hotline to locate the right resources for you.