Depression, unless you've actually experienced it, can be easily dismissed as just "feeling blue" or being "down in the dumps". People say, "Cheer up. Nothing can be that bad."
Depression is so much more than just being in a bad mood. Depression engulfs the very essence of your being. It is a bottomless, dark cavern where only sickness and death dwell. And there are no handholds, no safety nets; only darkness.
There is an unearthly silence while you are in the pit of despair. People are talking all around you, but you can't comprehend the words. The voices inside your head are, for once, muted. There's a strange humming, ringing sound, like the vibration of a faraway steam engine gone wild.
Moonlight seems as bright as the day and as unwelcome as a harsh voice at midnight. The stars appear only to mock you, to taunt you with their twinkling glow.
You search for peace in sleep -- that old friend, but there is none. The dreams; no, the nightmares are like an all night feature at the horror show. You think about praying, but what use is there? You are so far gone, nobody wants to hear your problems; and who really cares anyway?
Suddenly, the God who seemed so close only a few hours before is adrift on a faraway sea, occupied by the important affairs of the world. The same people who tell you to cheer up will also tell you that you are the one who moved. Like you need more guilt. Of course you are the one who moved away from God; you don't need anyone to tell you that. And the depression deepens.
On and on and on until finally the sun comes breaking through the clouds and you are alive again. For a while.
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