The world is trapped to sepia — the obscure shades and dulled sensations. All moments seem suspended; all gestures seem slow. There is no energy to spare and no desire to summon more. You’ve… changed. Sadness defines you, with listless thoughts and tired expressions. No mood seems strong enough to sustain itself in the wake of each morning. They all simply collapse and leave you reeling in the aftermath. You are no longer as you were. Instead you are undone.

And the cause of this is… depression.

Depression affects 14 million individuals each year. It is a disease shared across the world — targeting men, women and their children. Its symptoms are many but its result is singular: a perpetual sense of despair that burdens all attempts at living. Recognizing early signs is essential therefore to combating this problem. It is only through understanding its warnings that treatment can then be sought.

The foundations of depression are unfortunate. They are defined to extended periods of apathetic responses, exhaustion, anxiety, a lack of focus and physical problems, such as: headaches, irritable digestion, muscle cramps and aches. Suicidal thoughts, as well as unwarranted feelings of guilt, can also occur.

Too often is is assumed that these symptoms are merely common, experienced often by all. While none can deny that each singular sign can be felt by any individual, the presence of them in lengthy forms proves that there is a deeper cause. Months may pass before there is any lull in the patterns — and this makes all symptoms noteworthy and dangerous.

Depression is a disease. Understanding its components is therefore the only way to battle it.