In the past decade, depression has become an ingrowing condition among each individual. A study done by GOQii, a smart-tech-enabled preventive healthcare platform shows that almost 43% of Indians suffer from a state of depression.

Do you ever feel completely empty inside? Like you’re just observing the world through a dead person’s eyes. Like the world is just one big documentary that you’re barely paying attention to. Like you’re constantly forcing yourself to act, act through everything, while secretly you’re falling apart at the seams.

*WARNING*

Nothing really felt like it was going to work out to be honest, everything in my life now felt completely and utterly hopeless. All that was left was a deep, intolerable pain that was left in the pit of my stomach.

You have not stumbled across this article by accident. If you are suffering from depression and/or anxiety, please take this moment to absorb this timely information.

Spike Milligan was a comedic genius whose legacy is almost impossible to comprehend.

Recently, I was asked how it felt to be depressed. It really lit a spark in me, because I never thought about how I physically felt. I got so wrapped up in that question and I'm going in on my personal experience with depression.

In today’s society mental health is something that is often overlooked, looked down on, or not taken seriously at all, and is rarely talked about. Since issues like eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, addiction, and mental illnesses are such a taboo subject it leaves the people who are struggling to feel like they shouldn't talk about the challenges that they are facing. In today’s world, where social media runs just about everything and everyone has such strong opinions, it can be difficult to open up about these issues. We can oftentimes feel alone, like our feelings don’t matter, like no one out there cares, or that we just need to put on our big people pants and get over it like the adults that we are, but that is not the case at all. There are people who care, these are not struggles that anyone can just suck up and get over, and most importantly, you are not alone. So in lieu of September’s National Suicide Prevention Month, we are going to discuss the top five signs that someone you know might be struggling with their mental health. It is however important to remember that not everyone's the same, some people may show all of the signs listed and more while others may show none at all. This is why it is so important to just be there for one another, lend a shoulder to cry on, and really listen to what the people around us have to say. You never, know, it could be life changing for someone just to have a listening ear.

Extreme sadness. Loss of interest. Lack of passion. Extreme irritability. Mood swings. Sleeping the day away. Crippling lack of motivation. Weight gain. An apparent inability to make decisions. Forgetfulness.

Cute! I’ve heard that statement before. They call us powerful women. Sadly no one ever knows the actual agony that woman faces over and over when she’s alone with her thoughts.

A semicolon is a punctuation mark used by a writer to indicate a pause between two main clauses where the sentence should have ended. When a semicolon is placed on your body as a tattoo it signifies your life while the person carrying the tattoo is the writer. By the young age of 20, I had already lost three friends to suicide and attempted it myself. I placed a semicolon behind my ear and shaped the circle like a waning gibbous moon with three birds flying out. Each bird represents a friend I've lost to suicide. When I was 18 I attempted suicide but thankfully failed. Although I struggle with my depression on an everyday basis, I have mentally strengthened my mind to move forward and not dwell so much in the past. I’ve learned to let go of the things that weigh me down into a hole full of sorrow memories that trigger my depression. I wear this tattoo to remind myself that I am strong and my story is not over. Each bird on me signifies a friend who no longer feels weighed down and can finally be free from the demons that haunted them in their everyday lives. I pay tribute to them every day by placing it behind my ear where it is noticeable for anyone to see and ask me, “what does that tattoo mean?”