Clinical Depression: a Legitimate Physical Illness

Clinical Depression is a cruel and misunderstood condition. Imagine you suffer from depression. You're embarrassed, ashamed to think you're so weak, and when you confide in a friend they tell you they don't believe in clinical depression. They think it's psychosomatic, or just an excuse used by lazy people, and you just have to snap out of it. This is an unfair but common misconception. You can't "snap out of" depression any more than you can shake off diabetes, or control heart disease. (Daae, 96-9) …