Society has shaped itself in a way where individuals tend to blend into a lifestyle where it becomes normal to ask a person about their well-being without expecting a response back. It’s easy for someone to nod his or her head and claim to be fine, while shrouding their true emotions. There’s a fine line between being happy and wearing a smile each day, because no one would want to be judged for being sad all the time.

When you interact with someone who appears happy, would you guess that person could be depressed? Many people wouldn’t give a second thought about the other person’s mindset, unless their behavior appeared to be strange, unusual, or obviously psychotic and mentally unstable.

I’ve met a handful of individuals who knew they were depressed, and they tried to hide their feelings due to the stigma that’s associated with depression. In general, I believe that people are aware of mental illnesses. Take all of the websites, hotlines, and organizations dedicated to the cause, for example. From the outside, it appears that a great amount of resources exist. But how much help can one obtain from a faceless person on the other side of the screen? It’s not as simple as telling a person to snap out of it, or giving them the advice to try to do the things they used to enjoy, instead of moping around at home.

The stigma may stem from those individuals who don’t want to deal with the situation at hand. There are people who would love to listen and give advice, but let’s face the facts – many don’t have the time. From past experience, it seemed like my friends and family acted as if being depressed were some kind of cry for attention, even if you tried to seek out honest advice from them. That’s the job of the therapist, right? But that person has to accept that they need help first, and it may be an extremely difficult step to take.

Unfortunately, depression is more common than one might think. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 15.7 million adults suffered from depression in the United States in 2014 and 9.3 percent of those individuals were within the age group of 18-25. Depression seems to be more prevalent among college students; this is probably due to the stress and financial hardships that many experience. Some cases of depression are less extreme than others, so they may go unnoticed.

It isn’t necessary to have all the symptoms of depression to be labeled as clinically depressed. Some may be able to hide their emotions better than others. It’s important to take the time to look for the smaller signs of someone who may be going through something difficult. It isn’t hard for me to relate, because I know what it feels like to believe nothing in life will ever get better. For those who haven’t shared those feelings, though, know that even the smallest amount of people genuinely concerned for your well-being will make an impact. Even a short interaction with that person each day can make a big difference.

Updates: the headline for the article was changed from “Depression is the last cry for help” to “Depression is not a cry for help”. 2/10/2016 3:41 p.m.