I am a college freshman who has loved learning, studying, reading, and writing above all else, and I have suffered from depression my whole life. Only recently, however, has that depression been so severe that I am unable to concentrate on my studies, either overwhelmed by exhaustion or despair. My once potent motivation seems to have dissipated. This is horrific for me, as my one desire is to prove a worthy scholar. I would really appreciate advice from scholars out there who, despite depression or other mental illness, have found strategies that allow them to focus and live a life of the mind even with an unsound mind.