Hi Matt. I appreciate what you’re saying in your article and I think it’s good advice for when you’re down in the dumps, grouchy, sad. However, I would add that, although they say depression is a mental illness, it’s also a physical illness caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. When someone is severely, clinically depressed, all the attitude adjustment in the world won’t fix it. Either the person will likely feel bad for the rest of their life or until their hormones even out, if ever, or they can probably find a medical solution that addresses the physical issue in their brain.

Again, I appreciate what you and Ram say for some situations, but there’s a lot of misunderstanding about mental illness out there that adds to the stigma people who suffer from mental illness deal with, unfortunately. There’s a world of difference between having the blues and depression.