Depression is becoming an epidemic. It affects people regardless of their race, age, or gender. It is something that some people feel is a fate worse than death.

There are many things people should know about depression. For instance, depression is the leading cause of disability in the world and there is a ¼ chance that any one person will experience depression in their lifetime and the number of people diagnosed with depression goes up 20% every year.

350 million people or 5% of the worldwide population suffer from depression, and even though it may seem like you're alone, you're not. There are so many people with similar struggles. I say similar because no struggle is the same. Everyone has their own issues, and they all go through depression in different ways. But, we all share the same mental struggle, and we can all find the same help.

An interesting and slightly angering fact is there are as many suicides in the US as there are people who die from breast cancer, however depression receives 1/100 of the funding that breast cancer gets.

Depression also raises people's risk of other medical complications. People with depression have a higher risk for:

• Obesity

• Heart disease

• Stroke

• Sleep disorders

• Lack of education

• Less access to medical insurance

• Alcohol or drug abuse

• Physical problems such as headaches and and pains

• Anxiety disorder, panic attacks, or phobias

• Trouble with school or work

• Family and relationship problems

• Isolation

• Self-mutilation

• Suicide or suicide attempts

Diagnosing depression is also very important. What denotes a depression diagnosis? People get diagnosed with depression when they have 5 or more symptoms of depression lasting more than 2 weeks.

These symptoms are:

• Feeling worthless

• Loss or gain in appetite

• Loss or gain of sleep

• Depressed mood

• Decreased interest in activities

• Feeling fatigued

• Feeling lethargic

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Recurring thoughts of death or suicide

If you have these symptoms, please tell someone. There are lots of different ways you personally can find help, talking to family, asking help from your guidance counselor, sharing your feelings with a friend, messaging one of the people here at ProjectFlashFlood. If you are in need of help, the most important thing to do is search for it.