The Appearance of Depression

Depression.

Dark rooms, running mascara, and dirty jogging bottoms. The image of depression.

You can spot it a mile away, right? Baggy clothes, messy hair, and dark circles enclosing the eyes. In school, she’s the girl who sits quietly at the back, has her head down in the hallways, and sits alone at lunch. You never see her at parties and she wears a hoodie in P.E, even during the summer.

Except that’s not the one to watch.

The one in the most pain is the loud one who sits in the middle of the room commanding attention from everyone. She’s at every party and every club because silence allows the doubt to grow. The depressed one is busy, so she doesn’t drown in her own mind and reevaluate her mortality.

You can find her in big groups, just look for the loudest one, cracking all the jokes. Centre of attention so she feels needed, wanted, or at least alive.

Most of the time, the one at war with herself is the one with a full face of makeup. She’s masking the pain with Fenty Foundation and Benefit Blusher. Her laughter is on the verge of a scream, just wanting someone to notice.

Watch her, look after her.