<p>I think sometimes some of us don’t know that some people around us are suffering from depression. Many sufferers are functional, fully employed, high-earning and sometimes seemingly happy people. They may not fit the image of what some of us may have of what a depressed person should be like, so we’re not “clued in” to the fact that the person is suffering. </p>
<p>The person in our social circle is a “jokey” kind of person, frequently telling funny stories, etc. So, the idea that he was suffering from serious and chronic depression just didn’t fit the image that us lay folks would have in mind. </p>
<p>For quite awhile, we were mystified by his seemingly unreasonable complaints. We had a couple of mutual dear friends suffering from advanced-stage cancer, so we couldn’t understand his “why me?” complaints about things like a sprained ankle, or a stuffy nose. Those complaints seemed so “over the top” in contrast to what we were seeing our cancer friends enduring with their treatments. </p>
<p>Yes, we’ve tried to be understanding and sympathetic once we suspected and then learned about the Dx. But prior to that it just seemed like a hypochondriac and whiney person complaining about “life’s bumps in the road.” </p>
<p>So, when we hear some of these complaints, we may not realize that we’re hearing the words from a depressed person (or child). We may just think that they’re being unreasonable and they need to “grow up”. </p>
<p>I can see how children suffering from depression would often get misunderstood. </p>
<p>I think as we all learn more about this disease, the signs of the disease, etc, we’ll be more clued in and understanding.</p>