Depression is so commonly talked about yet so little understood. Everyone thinks depression is just being sad, it's more than that. Depression is constant anxiety and fear. I used to always say "stop being so depressed" as just a nonchalant phrase until it was me, crying in the corner of the bathroom with the shower running so no one could hear me. Not only did I feel sad, I felt helpless. I felt empty. I lost complete interest in seeing friends and just being happy in general. I was rarely hungry and spent 75% of my time sleeping. Sure, depression is sadness, but it can also be feeling your heart break and all of the pieces crumble inside of you. Not only is it difficult to get out of bed, but it's difficult to live when you feel as if you're dying. The worst part of it all is being too scared to tell anyone what's going on in your mind because either you don't understand it yourself or you fear you're going to be judged. 20% of teens experience depression before they reach adulthood and suicide is the third leading cause of death in youth. Depression is much more than the common misconeption of just being "sad".