Depression is not a choice

Last week I had a good friend I've known since I was a young teenager succumb to his battle with depression. He was the most loving person. A lot of people would've never knew he struggled with it. A lot of people say suicide is selfish. They may not be entirely wrong in some way, but a lot of people also don't realize that it's a sickness, like cancer. No one wants it. Some people try harder than others to fight it, but no matter how hard you might try, you still may lose your fight. I'm glad he is free from his suffering, but my heart hurts for his mother, young son, and all the family and friends he has left behind who loved him so much. I want to create more dialogue around this topic and do something to bring awareness to this issue and remind people that it's okay to feel depressed, it's okay to talk about it, you don't have to be ashamed about it. Maybe if we make our friends and family feel safe in sharing these dark thoughts, and make the topic less taboo, we can better help them heal.

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