perpetuallysad and lonegael are both right -- a lot of people just don't seem to see depression as something debilitating (as ps put very well). I think it's evident how a person feels about it based on how they use the term. I think there's a difference between being depressed and having depression.

Being depressed, which is the phrase more people use because it's not as serious, is just basically being in a foul mood. Having depression is actually a medical condition, a chemical imbalance in your brain which could've been caused by many things.

This is exactly why I'm afraid of telling my parents about it. It's not that I feel like they won't understand it, but I feel like they'll brush it off as something less serious. Maybe mine is only mild depression, but I dunno how much respect I'd get. We both need to hang in there, we'll come out of the darkness and into the light soon.