On one particular day about a week ago, I got bored on Facebook and decided to take a scroll through the Colorado Mesa University Confessions page. As I was scrolling, I ran into a post that troubled me so much that it has been in the back of my mind since.

This post wasn’t your typical CMU confession speaking of drunken sexual antics or defecation in unusual places around campus, but it was one concerning depression. The post basically went on to say that those who are depressed choose to be in this state. The post also went on to label people who suffer from depression as sad, attention-seeking and weak.

This post really got me to thinking that much of society sees depression in a similar light, and this is just one of the growing stigmas our nation has in relation to mental health. Instead of showing compassion to people with this private illness, many individuals express criticism and judgment. It’s as if people think that these sort of mental conditions just have an on/off switch and all it takes to be in a good mood is mind over matter or the power of positivity, when, in reality, these conditions have the same validity any other kind of medical condition has.

Ask most psych professionals on our campus, and their responses will likely show that depression is a mood disorder influenced by various factors, including environment and biology. The Mayo Clinic even lists depression as “a chronic illness that usually requires long-term treatment, like diabetes or high-blood pressure.”

As someone who has an extensive family history of clinical depression and has sought counseling for my own depressive episodes that I have struggled with, I know that these types of disorders need compassion and understanding. The two common reactions to those who have mood disorders are either misunderstanding, in the sense that the person should just toughen up, or that the person is weird and should therefore be treated differently and isolated. These kinds of reactions uphold the ideas that mood disorders are to not be taken seriously, and it is only hurting the people who suffer around us.

People also often see victims of suicide as awful, selfish people when, in reality, these people could be so driven to the point of self-harm because of the way others treat their condition.

Suicide and depression are senseless, but the victims of both are not. They deserve all the help and treatment that anyone else does, and being sensitive to both issues is the key to helping eliminate the stigmas that exist in our society.

I have witnessed suicide attempts while in college over the past three years. The emotional and physical recovery process is rough for the individuals, and I have to admit that I didn’t know how to treat the individuals in the situations after the fact. I later found that being compassionate and understanding of the depression they were in when the attempt occurred was the best way for me to show that I wasn’t being judgmental.

Anyone who suffers from depression or self-harm, you should know there are services and resources out there that can help you. You are not hopeless or weak, and it is possible for you to overcome this with help and support.