Imagine being diagnosed with depression, waking up everyday feeling sad and empty, only to get on Facebook and see your symptoms posted as a meme that your friends are liking and sharing. For them, it’s relatable and explains why they don’t want to get things done. For you, it’s a slap in the face knowing how hard you try.
Sometimes it’s acceptable to post about your depression in what may come across as humorous. For some who struggle, it may be a coping mechanism. However, a good portion of the people relating to these hilarious memes haven’t been diagnosed with depression. In fact, many of them are simply self-diagnosing, acknowledging their laziness and introversion.
Self-diagnoses don’t equate depression, but rather an insufficient level of self-care. These are the people choosing to go to bed at 3 a.m. and then deciding to not do their work once they wake up. These are people consciously choosing to not talk to people.
For someone with depression, it’s an entirely different story. People with depression want to get things done, but oftentimes feel like there’s no point because they will likely mess something up. These people want to sleep, but are up at night thinking about how they wish their sadness wouldn’t have gotten in the way of getting things done. They want to leave their house and socialize but feel like nobody really wants to talk to them anyway. It’s an endless cycle of sadness that no meme can truly encapsulate.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is the most common health problem for college students. It is characterized by feeling sad or hopeless for two or more weeks. Typically, the symptoms of an individual suffering from depression hinder them from living a whole and fulfilling life. There’s a very big difference in having a hard, stressful day and having a sad, stressful life.
People are assuming they’re suffering from depression. There may be people who actually have depression and haven’t been properly diagnosed, and therefore aren’t capable of taking further action. Though these memes and Facebook posts may feel comforting, there may be an underlying mental illness that isn’t being addressed and may possibly not be addressed until it’s too late.
Depression isn’t something to joke about, whether directly or indirectly. Some may wish to note these memes as simple, fun and expressive. For some, these memes are taunting and unrealistic. We need to choose to not confuse our irresponsibility with depression and handle our issues much more seriously.
Chantelle Baker is a 20-year-old communication studies senior from Waipahu, Hawaii.