Dear Depression,

You are a chameleon of utmost proportion.  One day you’re a friendly smile and the next an evil frown.  You have the power to turn light into darkness even as the sun shines brightly overhead.  Your breath turns a friendly laugh into tears of sorrow while your ironclad grip on one’s life and on their very existence is methodical and without remorse.

The toughest part of dealing with you is that you work in disguise – no one can physically see you, but they can feel you within the depths of their souls.  You suck the life out of your victims and cause them so much pain and agony.  And the toughest part is that they often can’t explain to others what is going on in their head, heart, or body and so they feel as though no one understands what they are going through or they can’t explain what it is that they are feeling or thinking or experiencing and they begin to lose hope.

Even worse is that you have different approaches for all of your conquests and your victims come from all walks of life, not sharing race, gender, ethnicity, age or economic status.  You don’t care what the individual looks like or what is going on in their life – you strike as you see fit.  And you attack in many different ways: fast and furious, slow and over time, or come and go.  You relish in the fact that people often suffer in silence, often afraid (or sometimes ashamed) of sharing their journey with another.

But your time has come.  Voices are rising against your evil ways and they are here to help.  We can no longer allow you to hold your spell over those we know and love, as well as those we may not know but are aware of their struggles.  We must work to help one another deal with the blindness you create, by building a world of understanding and compassion.  For those who are suffering from your debilitating ways, I want to say one thing: it will get better and you can get help.  You don’t have to suffer in silence but you must break through the fear of sharing your pain.  It WILL get easier with time even if it seems impossible.  You will be able to breath again, love again, live again.  But it will take time and there will be moments of darkness that feel overwhelming.  You are worth fighting for and your friends, families, and even strangers are here to help, here to remind you of how important you are and how life itself is worth fighting for.  Depression is an ugly fact of life that can strike at any moment, but it is in how you fight back that will bring you the peace you are praying for.

If you find yourself suffering either silently or openly with depression or mental health issues, know that you are not alone.  Millions of individuals are held captive by this unwavering evil force.  Please seek out help.  Talk with a friend or family member, visit with a therapist, join a support group – anything that will help you learn how to deal with and cope with depression.  Know that you are worth fighting for and ask for help in that fight – don’t try to do it alone, and don’t be embarrassed to ask for help.  And when you start to get the help that you need, and start to have a glimmer of hope return to your life, your days will grow brighter and you will grow stronger, believe me, I know.  You will begin to live life again and start to see joy in the littlest of things.  It will take time and there will be stumbles along the way, but if you continue to face down your challenges and put importance upon your own self-worth, then you will find yourself again and you will learn to live again.  Just remember: you are worth fighting for.