I don't know what motivates a person to attack a fellow sojourner who is in pain, but if you're like me, you may have that sort of person in your past, as an influential figure, so you will be vulnerable to listening to them - DON'T DO IT!! Listen to all the good advice, there's a lot here. I now know i've suffered from depression since childhood, it was ignored and I was blamed for having "problems". The blamer in my case was my mother, so i have a formative voice in my head telling me I'm just taking up space that could be better used by someone more valuable. I just started to acknowledge & deal with the problem, about 3 yrs.ago. I took a mild antidepressant for about a year; the 1st morning I woke up, having had a dream in which i felt my mind was attacking me. Despite depression, at least I have always felt that my mind was my friend. So, I was wary of the med (Desyrel) but didn't stop, & the next morning, I was eager to get out of bed, for the 1st time in my life. I've now been off any med for about 1 yr., but i occasionally feel i may need to go back on. Just knowing i have a treatable illness, has been a breakthrough. Keep sharing, I for one am very grateful that you have the courage to do that.